​Mumbai cops learn how to keep noise down during Ganeshotsav
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
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Updated: Sep 03, 2015 22:11 IST
As Mumbai prepares to celebrate its favourite festival, the police have started getting trained to handle cases of noise pollution during Ganeshotsav. Anti-noise campaigners, in a bid to keep noise levels under control, trained more than 70 police personnel on Wednesday.
Representatives from 20 police stations across Navi Mumbai attended the session at the Kalamboli police headquarters.
Noise pollution rules and the Bombay high court orders that need to be implemented during the festival were discussed.
“The police personnel were enthusiastic, as we spoke to them about how noisy processions can affect the health of residents,” said Sumaira Abdulali, the convener of Awaaz foundation, which conducted the session.
Abdulali and Ajay Marathe from the NGO also got the officers familiar with the Environment Protection Act (EPA) and how to take readings on decibel metres in public places and private spaces.
“Noise levels can be recorded from anywhere, when it comes to loudspeakers in public places,” said Marathe, adding, the police were also briefed about details of various court orders, including a 2005 Supreme Court order that said loudspeakers cannot be used after 10pm.
“We learnt how to record decibel levels and cleared doubts about carrying out investigations in such cases,” said Atish Wagh, assistant police inspector, Navi Mumbai police training centre.
 
Wagh said this year, the police will get tough on mandals flouting noise rules.
“If caught, mandals will get 60 days to respond and if their response is not satisfactory, an FIR will be filed against the mandal owners.”
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Noise pollution during Ganeshotsav Mumbai
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​Mumbai: Locals help turn Shivaji Park into a ‘silence zone’ 
Badri Chatterjee, Hindustan Times, Mumbai 
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Updated: Aug 17, 2015 16:18 IST

In 2008, one of Mumbai’s largest sporting hubs, Shivaji Park in Dadar (West), was used for non-sporting activities for more than 100 days. Angry at the high levels of noise and pollution from the political rallies, residents decided to protect the ground by fighting for it to be declared a silence zone.
Ashok Rawat, a local businessman, studied the chronological events over the decades that made a large portion of the 27.9-acre ground unavailable for sporting activities anymore. He spearheaded the fight to bring back the sporting traditions at the park by reminding authorities of environmental laws being broken with the use of the ground as a centre for political and commercial events.
Rawat, along with a group of residents such as Sharad Dixit, JD Udeshi and Mohan Warde, formed the Wecom trust (Walkers’ ecological movement) that consisted of 20 members. The trust filed a petition in 2009 at the Bombay high court (HC) after the municipal corporation refused to recognise the area as a silence zone.
Ashok Rawat, a local businessman, spearheaded the fight to bring back sporting traditions at the Shivaji Park. (Kunal Patil/HT photo) 
“The park is surrounded by a number of hospitals, colleges and 11 different schools, which use the ground for sports and physical education activities. According to the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000, the decibel (db) levels for an area like this is supposed to be 45db. However, until we intervened, noise levels were way above the limit,” said Rawat.
Along with guidance and active support from anti-noise campaigner, Awaaz Foundation, the group was able to measure the exact decibel levels and drafted a strong public interest litigation (PIL).
“I remember measuring noise at a political rally which was more than 100db. The rally would start at 4am in the morning causing severe disturbance to residents for weeks,” said Sumaira Abdulali, convener of the NGO Awaaz Foundation. “Rawat and others are an inspiration for residents of Mumbai. They showed a lot of courage by taking the trouble to stand up against the authorities for what the law clearly states.”
Their efforts were rewarded in 2010 when a HC bench of justice FI Rebello and justice AA Sayed passed an interim order, directing that Shivaji Park and its periphery be declared a “silence zone”, and banning the use of loudspeakers in the area from 10pm to 6am owing to the large number of schools and religious places in the vicinity.Sharad Dixit, trustee, Wecom said, “Right from the days of recurrent political processions till today, Rawat has been putting in tremendous efforts to make life easier for residents of the area. Citizens have to take action in the interest of the area they are living in.”
Originally created in 1925, Shivaji Park has been divided into 37 sub-plots given to 37 organisations including schools, colleges and clubs. Two of the plots, Shivaji Chhatrapati Maharaj Samiti and Udayan Ganesh temple are the only ones not used for sports
     
currently and one stage used for public processions.
Loudspeakers on only 4 days a year: 
After the interim order by the Bombay high court in 2010 directed that Shivaji Park and its periphery be declared a “silence zone”, loudspeakers are permitted on only four days of the year, the sound from which has to be at 45db under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 –
* Republic Day, January 26
* Maharashtra Day, May 1
* Dr Ambedkar Mahaparinivaran Diwas, December 5 and 6
Other structures dotting the periphery of the grounds include: 
* The Samarth Vyayam Mandir (gymnasium),
* Shivaji Park Nagarik Sangh (established in 1947),
* Children’s Park,
* Nana-Nani Park (park for senior citizens),
* Scout’s Pavilion
* Library
With a walkway lined with huge rain trees, residents of the area have been focusing on increasing the green cover by installing a sprinkler system.
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Tackling noise pollution: ‘Track complaints to check effectiveness’
Badri Chatterjee, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
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Updated: Aug 03, 2015 23:27 IST
Noise-pollution
While the Bombay high court (HC) had put the onus of tackling noise pollution on the police, anti-noise campaigners said citizens also need to keep tracking their complaints in order to check whether the police follow the order.
“The two important parts from Monday’s order that will finally help citizens are – who to complain to and what the law exactly states,” said Sumaira Abdulali, convener, Awaaz Foundation. “However, it is important to see whether the complaints are being followed up.”
Dr Mahesh Bedekar, who had filed a PIL in 2010 asking whether public roads can be obstructed for any kind of celebrations and the violation of noise pollution rules, said, “According to SC guidelines from 2005 based on a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, something related to public health has to be taken seriously.”
Bedekar said the reason authorities had not taken any action in the past five years was because of politicisation of festivals. “Noise levels were purposely being elevated during festivals and since people did not know the rules, they were helpless,” he said.
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Mumbai: Noise pushes Jogeshwari residents to raise alarm
Badri Chatterjee, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
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Updated: Jun 04, 2015 13:00 IST
Imagine a constant drilling noise resonating within your house for 12 hours every day for months on end while children try to study and you to have a conversation with a guest. Fed up with one such situation, residents of a 23-storey-building at Jogeshwari decided to take matters in their own hands to rid themselves of the loud decibel levels.
For the past five months, residents of Maple Tower in the suburb’s Hill Park complex have been battling noise pollution arising from rock-drilling from a construction site adjacent to their building.
With their initiative, not only did they manage to get one of the excavators used for drilling removed, but also stipulated timeframes for the drilling process with the help of local police. Next month, residents will file a petition at the western bench of the National Green Tribunal.
According to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, the permissible level in residential areas during the day is 55 decibel (dB) and 45dB at night.
Members of the residents’ welfare association said that noise levels were above permissible limits when work began in January. “The sound was unbearable and a discomfort to senior citizens, children and the terminally ill. Some residents have even temporarily moved house to avoid the nuisance,” said Javed Khan, secretary of the association.
Residents also said a large amount of dust was being generated by the drilling process. “We need to keep our doors and windows shut as the wind pushes construction dust into our houses,” said Gulzar Merchant, 70, a resident.
In March, Sumaira Abdulali, convener, Awaaz Foundation, recorded the readings at 85.1dB. “The health of residents across Mumbai suffers due to blasting, drilling and other noisy activities. The noise is particularly acute as activities such as stone cutting and unloading are carried out in close proximity to existing buildings, without silencers or noise barriers,” said Abdulali.
Khan alleged that local police had been turning a deaf ear to their complaints for nearly three months. “The local police sprang into action only after we approached officials from the state pollution control board and deputy commissioner of police, zone 9,”
        
said Khan.
Officials from the Oshiwara police station, however, refuted the allegation.
“We took down necessary noise levels at the site and drafted a panchnama,” said Subhash Vele, senior police inspector, Oshiwara police station. “We also wrote to the builder to stay within permissible decibel limits,” he said.
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Maple Tower Jogeshwari Noise Pollution
 

‘Noise-mapping needed before finalizing DP’
TNN | Apr 10, 2015, 05.34AM IST
MUMBAI: While the draft Development Plan 2034 has identified the problem of noise pollution in the city, it doesn't offer any solution. Anti-noise activists have therefore submitted their objections to the authorities. They plan to hold a meeting on April 12 to discuss the issue.
NGO Awaaz Foundation, which spreads awareness about noise pollution, in a letter sent out Thursday said that the draft DP 2034 should not be finalized without a comprehensive noise- mapping study of Mumbai. Sumaira Abdullai, convener of the NGO, said, "The draft DP 2034 states that the airport area records the maximum noise level. But as there is no comprehensive noise-mapping study, there is no way in which we can directly compare noise levels." 

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