Bombay HC slams govt for not curbing noise pollution
Last year, the court had passed a comprehensive order and gave directions to the state.
Mumbai: The Bombay high court has rapped the state government for not taking its order to curb noise pollution in the state seriously. The court said that state has not taken any strict action against the senior police inspector of Mahim police station for playing loudspeakers on the station’s premises during the Mahim dargah festival.
A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice A.K. Menon was hearing a bunch of PILs that were filed to curb noise pollution in the state. Last year, the court had passed a comprehensive order and gave directions to the state. Since then, the court has been monitoring how much the state has complied with its directions. On the last hearing, Awaz Foundation, an NGO, filed a contempt petition before the court and brought to its notice that in the month of December the Mahim police station had allowed the application to use loudspeakers in a silence zone during the Mahim dargah festival. The petition also stated that loudspeakers had been played on the premises of the police station. The court then issued a contempt notice against the senior police inspector of the Mahim police station.
Accordingly, on Wednesday, the Mumbai police commissioner filed an affidavit before the court after which the court said, “The state is taking our noise pollution order casually. It is not serious in implementing the high court order.”
“We expect the state to take strict action against those officers, but the commissioner has given warning to the (Mahim) police and a letter of displeasure has been given to the ACP,” said the court.
The court also asked the state to mention what steps it has taken to curb vehicular noise pollution. The court has kept the matter for further hearing on June 9.