​Nod for Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
|
Updated: Oct 17, 2015 00:04 IST
                      
A file photo of a Shiv Sena rally at Shivaji Park. (File photo)

 
The Shiv Sena on Friday got permission to hold the Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park on Thursday.

A division bench of justice VM Kanade and justice Dr Shalini Phansalkar Joshi of the Bombay high court (HC) said as permission has been granted for the rally for all these years, there is no reason why it should not be granted now. The court was hearing a plea filed by Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab, which was supported by the state and civic body.
Advocate general Shreehari Aney said an order passed by the HC in 2010 states Shivaji Park can be used for three days -- Independence Day, Republic Day and Ambedkar Jayanti. But the state had, in December 2014, amended the Maharashtra Region Town Planning Act, which increased the number of days to use a playground for ‘non-sporting’ purposes to 45 days from 30. For the new rule to come into effect, a notification has to be issued two months before the beginning of the New Year. Aney said this could not be done as the government was sworn in October 2014, and did not have the time to do so.
Aney said it is an annual function being organised for the past 43 years and merely because it is conducted by a political party, it does not become a political rally. He told the court that the money for the event -- Rs38 lakh for a day, with Rs27 lakh as deposit – is not taken from the public.
Senior counsel Anil Sakhare, representing the BMC, said they are in support of the application, adding the rally could not be held last year owing to the code of conduct for elections. He said noise pollution and other concerns would be taken care of.
Parab’s lawyer, senior counsel VA Thorat, said Dussehra is also the day of Durga immersion, and so the noise levels are high, but the organisers use loudspeakers that keep the volume in check.
Senior counsel Virag Tulzapurkar, appearing for a residents’ trust, Wecom, and NGO Awaaz Foundation said Shivaji Park is a silent zone and no permission for loudspeakers should be granted for the rally. A local corporator from MNS, too, opposed the granting of permission.

Copyright © 2015 HT Media Limited.
 
 

Click here to edit Nod for Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
|
Updated: Oct 17, 2015 00:04 IST
                      
A file photo of a Shiv Sena rally at Shivaji Park. (File photo)

 
The Shiv Sena on Friday got permission to hold the Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park on Thursday.
A division bench of justice VM Kanade and justice Dr Shalini Phansalkar Joshi of the Bombay high court (HC) said as permission has been granted for the rally for all these years, there is no reason why it should not be granted now. The court was hearing a plea filed by Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab, which was supported by the state and civic body.
Advocate general Shreehari Aney said an order passed by the HC in 2010 states Shivaji Park can be used for three days -- Independence Day, Republic Day and Ambedkar Jayanti. But the state had, in December 2014, amended the Maharashtra Region Town Planning Act, which increased the number of days to use a playground for ‘non-sporting’ purposes to 45 days from 30. For the new rule to come into effect, a notification has to be issued two months before the beginning of the New Year. Aney said this could not be done as the government was sworn in October 2014, and did not have the time to do so.
Aney said it is an annual function being organised for the past 43 years and merely because it is conducted by a political party, it does not become a political rally. He told the court that the money for the event -- Rs38 lakh for a day, with Rs27 lakh as deposit – is not taken from the public.
Senior counsel Anil Sakhare, representing the BMC, said they are in support of the application, adding the rally could not be held last year owing to the code of conduct for elections. He said noise pollution and other concerns would be taken care of.
Parab’s lawyer, senior counsel VA Thorat, said Dussehra is also the day of Durga immersion, and so the noise levels are high, but the organisers use loudspeakers that keep the volume in check.
Senior counsel Virag Tulzapurkar, appearing for a residents’ trust, Wecom, and NGO Awaaz Foundation said Shivaji Park is a silent zone and no permission for loudspeakers should be granted for the rally. A local corporator from MNS, too, opposed the granting of permission.

Copyright © 2015 HT Media Limited.




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Home (/) » News (/news) » India (/india) » Mumbai (/mumbai) 

Anti-noise activists urge BMC to map silence zones 

Friday, 9 October 2015 - 7:55am IST | Agency: dna | From the print edition 

Chaitanya Marpakwar (/authors/chaitanya-marpakwar) 




The notification was issued by the BMC's environment department last week, following a rap from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). 

A day after dna reported that for the first time the civic body had notified 'silence zones', identifying over 1,500 locations across the city, activists have urged the BMC to map these zones. 

The notification was issued by the BMC's environment department last week, following a rap from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). 

"It's good that the BMC has notified the silence zones (/topic/silence-zones) but they need to be mapped. Entire zones must be plotted on a map, which should be made available to the public. Only then will people know whether they stay in a silence zone or no. They can then complaint to the police," said RTI activist Mohammed Ishtiaque Bagban. 

The NGT order was the result of a three-year-long battle by Bagban. Since 2011, Bagban, who lives near Crawford Market, used to call the police control room whenever noise norms were violated. However, the police did not respond. With no response from authorities, he moved the NGT. 




Anti-noise pollution activist Sumaira Abdulali of Awaaz Foundation (/topic/awaaz-foundation) said the silence zones should be part of the city's Development Plan (DP). "Till the time one knows the exact boundary, complaints to the police about noise violations had little effect. The BMC must publicise the notification. People are not aware whether their buildings are marked as part of a silence zone or not. The boundaries should be included in the DP too," she added. 

According to the notification, 1,537 locations have been marked as silence zones, which include roads around schools, colleges, hospitals, religious sites and courts. The eastern suburbs have the highest number of silence zones (540), western suburbs have 524 and the island city has 453. 

The L ward, which includes Kurla, has the highest number of silence zones — 268. The C ward, which includes Pydhonie, has the least — 12. 

According to officials, if an area is declared as a silence zone, there is a ban on loudspeakers, horns, musical instruments and the bursting of firecrackers there. There is a cap on the decibel level of noise in the silence zone. Further, noise mitigation measures have to be adopted for construction activities in such areas. 



Chaitanya Marpakwar 



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