E-Paper
‘My father, a heart patient, cannot sleep’
District authorities must take steps to ensure that residents of a residential project are not subjected to persistent noise pollution
When N Kumar (name changed on request) bought a house in Greater Noida West one-and-a-half years ago, he was happy that his house faced a cricket stadium. “I thought I would get sun and fresh air – so rare these days,” he says.
After moving in, however, Kumar realised he had made a big mistake. “Every other day, a cricket match is played with loudspeakers blaring commentary and music in complete disregard for the existing laws regarding the use of loudspeakers. The high wattage speakers have been permanently fixed on the wall of the stadium (it shares a boundary wall with our apartment building) for the benefit of the teams,” he says.
A times, three matches are played in the stadium in a day and the commentary and loud music starts at 9 am and continues till midnight, subjecting residents to high levels of noise pollution for more than 12 hours at a stretch. Kumar’s father, a heart patient, cannot
sleep; his 10-year-old daughter cannot study. “I really wonder how a builder can be so insensitive so as to allow the use of loudspeakers to earn a few thousands and cause inconvenience to thousands of people who have paid him their lives’ savings to buy a house.”
In fact, it is not just commentary and loud music. Drumbeats to celebrate fours and sixes also add to the residents’ misery.
The stadium is part of the sports complex which buyers were told was meant exclusively for residents of the complex. “While we have no problems with visiting teams playing cricket matches in the stadium, why use loudspeakers when there is a scoreboard on the ground for the teams to keep track of scores?” Kumar asks.
He hopes that NGT or the district authorities concerned will take the necessary steps to ensure that residents of a project are not subjected to persistent noise pollution that has the potential to cause long-term adverse health effects on residents.
When contacted, the builder claimed that noise pollution norms were being adhered to.
