Why exclude earlier locations from list of silence zones, asks Anti-noise pollution activists in Mumbai

Anti-noise pollution activists in the city are trying to understand the parameters used by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in selecting the 110 silence zones and reasons behind the omission of several important institutions from the list.

After the state government de-notified all the existing 1503 silence zones in August 2017, the BMC came up with a list of 110 locations identified as silence zones earlier this month.

The move garnered a lot of criticism from the activists as it was not only delayed but also chalked out very few locations. Convenor of the Awaaz Foundation, Sumaira Abdulali, wrote to the municipal commissioner, Ajoy Mehta and the principal secretary of the environment department of BMC, Satish Gavai clarity on the issue on Friday.

Abdulali, in her correspondence, listed out 40 major institutions in the city including prominent hospitals like Lilavati, Nanavati and educational institutions like Jamnabai Narsee School, HR College and others which were silence zones before the de-notification and asked for an explanation for the non-inclusion of these from the current list.

"I would be grateful if reasons for the non-inclusion of these institutions could be provided so that we and the other concerned citizens and the Advanced Locality Management (ALMs) may assist the BMC in expanding this list to include all those institutions at the earliest," she wrote in her letter.

The previous list of 1503 locations was prepared in 2009 after ground level identification and consultations from the citizens and ALMs.

Explaining the reason for her letter, she explained that every Mumbaikar had the right to understand the manner in which BMC is choosing these new silence zones.

"Once we receive the reply from the BMC, the active citizens from across Mumbai as well as the Awaaz Foundation would also help draw list of places based on similar parameters to make sure that BMC does not end up delaying the whole process yet again," Abdulali said.

A senior civic official said, "We have clarified that this is the first list and we will be coming up with more places that will be declared as silence zone."

NO NOISE 

• The state government de-notified all the existing 1503 silence zones in August 2017 
• Following which, the BMC came up with a list of 110 locations identified as silence zones earlier this month