'Noise data collected for 3 metro sites': Maharashtra Govt to Bombay High Court

The Maharashtra government, on Monday, told the Bombay High Court that it has recorded the decibel levels of three spots where construction work for the Metro III line is underway and has forwarded the readings, along with a report, to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board for further action.

Assistant government pleader Nisha Mehra, on Monday, told a division bench of Justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla that the Mumbai police will file an affidavit indicating the noise levels as well as the further steps that can be undertaken.

In April 2017, the High Court, while hearing a bunch of public interest litigations (PILs) on the issue of the strict implementation of noise pollution rules, directed the government to record decibel levels at three spots —Churchgate and Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai and Mahim in western Mumbai— where the metro work is underway. The court had also sought to know from the government whether it would initiate action against the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) in case of violations of the rules.

Activist Sumaira Abdulali was one of the forerunners who launched a war against noise pollution in metro construction sites. She had individually collected the noise data at the Churchgate metro construction site.

According to data collected by Abdulali between December 2017 to January 2018, the noise levels at Churchgate stood at 110db, which is two times the permissible limit of 55db during the day and 45 db during night.

Abdulali had said that she visited the site after receiving several complaints of noise from the locals.