Activists upset with just 110 silence zones across Mumbai

Even as the festival season is about to begin from first week of September, anti-noise pollution activists are up in arms against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for only notifying 110 silence zones in the city in the past one year.

Sumaira Abdulali, Convenor of Awaaz foundation said that she expects that this year too there would be a similar chaos like last year as citizens would end up confused about silence zones.

"So many important locations that were earlier included in the old silence zone list have not be re-notified this time. Also how does a citizen know if their area has been declared a silence zone or not as even the list of 110 locations have not been widely publicised yet," she said adding that this was certainly not good governance.

Maharashtra amended the Noise Rules on August 10, 2017 and declared that all the earlier silence zones identified by BMC were no longer in operation as they had not been specifically notified by the State Government. Post this all municipal bodies including BMC were asked to begin their exercise of notifying new silence zones.

Dr Mahesh Bedekar, a Gynecologist who runs a hospital in Thane and had filed a PIL against the noise during religious festivals said that I am surprised by the criteria set by municipal bodies that only over 100 bedded hospitals and schools with a specified number of student would be declared as silence zone. "Does it mean that a hospital that has 20 patients wont be affected by high noise levels. We will have to challenge such criteria's," he said adding that the need was to have quieter cities but the Government does not seem to be very keen on it.

The silence zone rules were first implemented in September 2, 2003 after Bombay High Court ordered the police to verify and certify before granting any loudspeaker permissions in a Silence Zone as defined under the Noise Rules. Infact on July 18, 2005, the Supreme Court of India ordered other noise sources such as honking to be added to the prohibitions in Silence Zones. In February 2009, the Court ordered the Government to identify and put up Silence Zone boards within one week after which the Ward offices of the BMC identified more than 1200 Silence Zones in Mumbai and put up boards on site with the help of citizen groups.

SILENCE ZONE MEANS

Areas within a 100-m radius around hospitals, courts, educational institutions and others where prescribed noise levels should not exceed 45dB during day and 40dB during night 

CITY’S SILENCE ZONE

Bombay Hospital, High Court, JJ Hospital, Reliance Hospital (Harakisandas Hospital), Jaslok hospital, Breach Candy Hospital, Masina Hospital, Hinduja Hospital, Poddar Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, Trauma Care Hospital, Cooper Hospital, Bhagwati Hospital, SNDT Women’s College, Sydenham College, Jai Hind College, Government Law College, Mumbai University, Mount Mary Church, Badi Masjid, Mathuradas Jain temple, Mazgaon Court, Bhavan’s College, Vile Parle Court, Dindoshi Court and Parsi Fire Temple

NOISIEST JUNCTIONS

JJ Junction: 103.3dB, Minara Masjid junction: 102.2dB, Sion junction: 101.5dB, Lucky junction, Bandra station: 103.7dB