BMC mute on silence zones for 5 months

The city council has for five months been dawdling with the task of declaring silence zones in the city, even after getting the state urban development department's nod for notifying 110 such zones across Mumbai.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had last year submitted its list of 110 fresh silence zones to be demarcated in the city, and the UDD approved it on November 30, 2017. However, after five months, the BMC has neither publicised the list nor taken any steps to implement it.

DNA has accessed the government gazette dated November 30, 2017, which affirms that the state has notified the areas proposed by the BMC as falling in the category of silence zones.

UDD officials told DNA that after the city administration sent them the proposal, "we gave them the clearance from our side. Now the onus is on BMC to implement it."

The BMC couldn't furnish any valid reason why the silence zones have not been enforced. Deputy Chief Engineer Suprabha Marathe, the civic environment department, said they recently received the list from UDD and have forwarded it to Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone II) for further processing. "The list will be published on BMC's website and circulated to the offices to tell people about the newly demracted zones," she said, without specifying when.

According to the list list of 110 areas, of which DNA has a copy, silence zones have been marked around courts, major hospitals and schools, even as many other similar establishments have been left out.

Mumbai earlier had 1,503 silence zones, but the Centre abolished it last August. The state environment department had issued guidelines to all municipal corporations asking them to propose silence zones and BMC was the first to lead the pack. Things came to a long and needless pause after that.

Activist Sumaira Abdulali, convener of Awaaz Foundation, said, "It is not a secret that they have not publicised the new list of silence zones despite having UDD's nod. Firstly, BMC has drastically reduced the list to 110, leaving out many schools and hospitals. It seems officers have randomly selected the areas. The citizens have to know which areas in the city are silence zones and when will they be enforceable."

A silence zone is defined as an area of 100-m radius around hospitals or courts, among others, where noise standards are laid down as per existing rules, and should not exceed 45 decibels (dB) and 40dB during day and night, respectively.

Newly notified silence zones in Mumbai (List published first time in DNA):

• Bombay Hospital
• SNTD Womens College
• Sydnehm College
• Jaihind College
• Government Law College
• Mumbai University and Court
• City Civil Court
• High Court
• J J Hospital
• Our Lady of Doll our High School
• Smt Kamaladevi Mittal Ayurvedic Hospital
• Small Cause Court
• Fellowship High School
• Sophia College
• Girgaon Court
• Breach Candy Hospital
• Parsi Fire Temple
• H N Reliance Hospital
• Jaslok Hospital
• Banganga Lake
• St Mary English High School
• Prince Ali Khan Hospital
• Masina Hospital
• Mazgaon Court
• Nair Hospital
• Sadhana Vidyalaya
• SEIS College
• Don Bosco
• UICT College
• VJTI College
• Raja Shivaji Vidyalaya
• Somiaya Medical College
• KEM Hospital
• Bhoiwada Court
• Sewree Fast Track Court
• Shindewadi Court
• Adarsh Nagar Marathi School No.2
• Podar Hospital
• Lala Lajpatrai College
• FPH Hospital
• Prabhadevi Convent High School
• Ruparel College
• Hinduja College
• Victoria Church
• VN Desai Municipal Hospital
• Metropolitan Magistrate Court
• Labour and Industrial Court
• Mumbai University
• N D College
• T S College of Engineering
• Holy Family Hospital
• St Joseph School
• Mumbai Education Trust
• St Teressa Church
• Mount Mary Church
• Badi Masjid
• Sathey College
• Parle Tilak college
• Saraswati Baug Municipal School
• Trauma Care Hospital
• Seven Hills Hospital
• Bhavans College
• Cooper Hospital
• Mithibai College
• Vile Parle Court
• A K Vaidya Road Court
• Masjid at Aarey Road
• St George School
• Mittal College
• Dindoshi Court
• Thakur Tantravidyaniketan
• ESIS Hospital
• Mathuradas Jain Mandir
• Poisar Municipal School
• Borivali Court
• Shakti Dham, Mother Terresa Institute
• Charkop Maternity Home
• Dattapada Municipal School
• Chogale Secondary School
• Bhagwati Hospital
• St Francis College of Engineering
• SVP College
• EDEN High School and Jr College
• Kedarnath Vidya Prasarani Sanchit Swadeshi Marathi School
• Padmabhushan Vasant Dada Patil Engineering College
• Kohinoor Hospital
• Lumbini Bug Municipal School
• Shatabdi Hospital
• RCF Municipal School
• S and AK Polytechnic
• Vivekanand College
• Modern English School
• Jain Mandir
• K J Somaiya College
• Rajawadi Hospital
• P G Garodia School
• Fatima High School
• Sarvodaya Hospital
• Kanjurgaon Municipal School
• Naval Hospital
• IIT Hospital
• Hiranandani Hospital
• Wockhardt Hospital
• IIT College
• Vikroli Court
• ESIS Hospital
• Wockhradt Hospital
• Mulund Court
• ITI Mulund
• Kelkar College