The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Maharashtra home department and the director general of police (DGP) to strictly enforce noise pollution regulations in all notified silence zones across the state and maintain records of action taken against violators.
The proposal assigned responsibilities to district collectors, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), police commissioners and local civic bodies. The tribunal subsequently directed that the principal secretary of the urban development department be added as a respondent. During the hearing, the applicants sought strict enforcement of Rule 6 of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, which prohibits activities such as playing music, using sound amplifiers, beating drums, blowing horns or trumpets, bursting sound-emitting firecrackers, holding performances to attract crowds and using loudspeakers or public-address systems in silence zones. When asked whether the authorities had any objection to a direction for strict compliance with Rule 6, he expressed no objection. During the September 10 hearing, the urban development department told the tribunal that the state had issued guidelines in November 2017 for enforcing noise pollution rules and declaring silence zones. Silence zones have so far been notified based on proposals from 28 municipal corporations across Maharashtra.
It said zones are notified after proposals from local authorities are approved by the state government.
Gauhar Hasan, deputy commissioner of police (crime), Pune, appeared before the bench on behalf of the home department and the DGP.
