Ganeshotsav 2011: Noise pollution norms fall on deaf ears in Pune

For the last five days of the 10-day Ganesh festival, the decibel levels in various parts of the city crossed the permissible limits.

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), which had formed a team of 20 officials to monitor noise levels at 20 locations in the last five days of the festival, recorded noise levels of between 65.4 dB (decibels) and 97 dB, day and night, in the last five days of the festival.

According to the norms laid down by the Supreme Court, the noise levels in residential areas should not exceed 55 dB in the day (6am to 10pm) and 45 dB at night (10pm to 6am).

The major spots in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad where the decibel levels were beyond the permissible limits include Shivajinagar, Karve Road, Swargate (Tilak Road), Laxmi Road (Shagun Chowk), Mahatma Phule Mandai, Deccan (Natraj Theatre), Dagdu Sheth Mandir (City Post Chowk), Alka Chowk and Chapekar Chowk (Chinchwadgaon).

All efforts by the MPCB to create awareness among the mandals to adhere to noise pollution norms seem to have failed to yield any result.

The MPCB’s sub-regional officer, Nitin Shinde, told DNA, “We had held a day-long camp at Faraskhana police station on noise pollution in the city. We had given information to all the Ganesh mandals,” he said.

“In the first few days of the festival, the noise pollution was within the permissible limits. But things went haywire after that,” he said.