‘Why is Shivaji Park still not a silence zone?’

The high court on Thursday sought an explanation from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation as to why an earlier order which declared Shivaji Park a “silence zone” was not complied with.

The high court on Thursday sought an explanation from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation as to why an earlier order which declared Shivaji Park a “silence zone” was not complied with.

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The high court had, on May 5, directed the civic body to declare Shivaji Park as a silence zone. The court has given the civic body four weeks for submitting the explanation and a list of 30 days when the body will grant permission for holding private functions on the grounds. The court sought to restrict private functions on the ground, after petitioner organisation Wacom Trust’s counsel Viraj Tulzapurkar pointed out that the BMC was granting permission to hold private functions for more than 150 days annually despite the legal limit of 30 days annually. A senior lawyer complained that despite the clear provisions, the BMC has been granting permissions for private functions such as Mango Festival, Orange Festival, and Ramleela.