Chandigarh’s noise pollution exceeds permissible limit during festivals

CHANDIGARH: Noise is recognised as air pollution under Environment (Protection) Act 1986. Noise pollution can cause health and psychological problems like stress, hypertension, sleep disorder, annoyance and hearing impairment.

A study conducted by Central Pollution Control Board in 2014 in three locations of Chandigarh — Sector 17 (commercial area), Sector 22 (residential area) and Sector 29 (silence zone) — the sound levels were found to be on the higher side during the festival days.

Narinder Kaur, an academician has also written a research paper on noise pollution in Chandigarh which was published in International Journal of Scientific Research last year. She talked about factors like increase in population, expansion of commercial areas and noise producing gadgets which lead to rise in noise pollution level.

Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee member secretary T C Nautiyal said, “The horns blown by the bikes and cars creates a lot of noise pollution and also exceeds the permissible limit.”

According to senior superintendent of police (traffic) Shashank Anand, police had started a special drive to make Chandigarh honk free in January this year and will take it forward next year as well. “All the three main hospitals— PGI and hospitals in Sector 16 and Sector 32 — have also been declared honk free, besides the education institutions and courts. A penalty of Rs 1,000 was fixed to discourage repeated offence, ” he said.

In the month of August this year, the Maharashtra government had imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh and jail term of five years for flouting noise pollution norms in Mumbai’s 110 silent zones. The norm says,“ The noise level in industrial area should be 75 dB/A at day and 70 dB/A at night, 65 dB/A at day and 55 DB/A at night in commercial area, 55 dB/A at day and 45 dB/A at night and 50 dB/A at day and 40 dB/A at night in silent zone. Whoever fails to comply with any of the provisions of the above rules is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years and with fine which may extend to Rs 1 lakh or with both and in case the failure or contravention continues, additional fine would be payable which may extend to Rs 5,000 for every day.”