Sena rally flouts noise regulations

MUMBAI: Noise levels at the Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park, Dadar, on Tuesday were much above permissible limit for a Silence Zone.

MUMBAI: Noise levels at the Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park, Dadar, on Tuesday were much above permissible limit for a Silence Zone.

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The noise blared at 98.9 decibels (dB), which is almost as loud as a discotheque.

According to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, the sound levels within a Silence Zone cannot exceed 50dB. Anti-noise activists Awaaz Foundation and Shivaji Park-based Wecom trust took noise readings from 6pm onwards until 9pm and found sound levels breaching rules within the Shivaji Park ground.

“The rally was much louder than the ones in previous years and there was no attempt to maintain noise rules this time. The norms were flouted despite police presence. Any officer I spoke to did not seem to carry a decibel meter,” said Sumaira Abdulali, convener, Awaaz Foundation.

The reading during Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s speech was 85.4dB. Subhash Desai’s peaked at 97.6dB.

On May 5, 2010, the Bombay High Court (HC) had declared Shivaji Park a Silence Zone while hearing a petition filed by Wecom, a residents’ trust. It had said that any violation of the rule will invite stringent action from the state. The NGOs alleged that Shiv Sena had not taken permission from the HC for use of loudspeakers this year.

The SC’s guidelines on noise pollution prohibit the use of loudspeakers at places located within 100m of a hospital, school, court, or a religious place, known as a ‘Silence Zone’. While a Shiv Sena spokesperson said the party had received permission from the Mumbai police, Paramjit Singh Dahiya, DCP , Zone 5, confirmed the Shivaji Park police station had given permission for use of loudspeakers on Tuesday.