MMRDA wants night noise rules relaxed to build Metro on time
In an attempt to speed up construction work of the Metro corridors in the city, the MMRDA has written to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) seeking exemption from the rule that restricts construction at night
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Residents of several areas, including in south Mumbai and the western suburbs, may have to deal with sleeplessness thanks to some noisy construction of the new Metro lines at night.
In an attempt to speed up construction work of the Metro corridors in the city, the MMRDA has written to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) seeking exemption from the rule that restricts construction at night.
Currently, the noise standards, as laid down under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, does not permit noise levels to go beyond 55dB and 50dB during the day and 45dB and 40dB during the night, respectively, in residential and silence zones.
According to MMRDA officials, they intend to carry out construction of the Metro corridor round the clock to achieve its deadline of 2019. “We have written to the CPCB to allow Metro construction at night time. The part of construction that creates the most amount of noise is piling, and we plan to finish that work by December 2017,” said Pravin Darade, additional metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA.
Meanwhile, average noise levels from construction are twice the permissible limits in Mumbai. According to a noise monitoring survey carried out across Mumbai periodically from 2011 to 2015 by non-profit Awaaz Foundation, construction activities, which included noise from stone-crushing machines, power generators, use of hammers and drilling equipment, were listed as one of the top sources of noise in the city.
According to the survey, the average decibel (dB) level during construction activities was found to be 107dB, as against the safety limit of 55dB during the day and 45dB at night for residential zones, and 50dB during the day and 40dB at night for silence zones.
Currently, the construction of Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro 2A, Dahisar east-Andheri east Metro 7 and Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-3 is underway in the city. While work on two more Metro corridors — DN Nagar-Mankhurd Metro-2B and Wadala-Kasarvadavali Metro-4 — is expected to commence by October.
Last month, residents of Marol had filed a complaint with metropolitan magistrate court of Andheri against Mumbai Metro Rail Coporation’s officials for violating the rule by carrying out Metro-3 construction during the night.