Submit list of silent zones, Bombay HC tells state

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has asked the state government to submit a list of silent zones in Maharashtra. The court said that last year, the state had submitted the central government’s gazette, according to which, the central government had abolished the state’s silent zones and empowered the state government to decide on the silent zones. However, a year had passed but the state had not decided on the silent zones, yet.

The court made it clear that it wanted to pass certain directions on the noise pollution petition and that without knowing the details of silent zones, it could not pass any order on restricting noise during festivals.

A division bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Riyaz Chagala on Wednesday said, “It seems like till date, the government has not done anything. We should know which areas are silent zones so that we can ensure that noise pollution rules are strictly followed in those areas and all other areas ahead of the festive season.”

The court asked the state to submit a list of upcoming festivals next Tuesday. “We want the government to tell us next week what festivals are coming up and their dates. We want all authorities to know that if there are any violations of the rules, we will initiate strict contempt action against errant officials,” the bench said.

The court was hearing a bunch of PILs pertaining to noise pollution and illegal pandals during festivals. In a series of orders passed in the last few years, the court has directed the government to ensure strict implementation of noise norms.