In a relief to Raj Thackeray, the Bombay high court on Wednesday refused to interfere with the decision of the city police and the BMC granting permission to his party MNS, to use loudspeakers for its
In a relief to Raj Thackeray, the Bombay high court on Wednesday refused to interfere with the decision of the city police and the BMC granting permission to his party MNS, to use loudspeakers for its rally in Shivaji Park on April 8, on the occasion of Gudi Padwa. The court, however, directed authorities to take action against the political party if norms of noise pollution were violated because the ground is a silence zone. In the meantime, MNS also assured the court that instead of using traditional loudspeakers, it would use regulated sound distribution system so that noise pollution rules are adhered to.
The division bench headed by Justice Abhay S. Oka was hearing a notice of motion filed by residents of the Dadar area living around the Shivaji Park challenging the use of loudspeaker in the park. The petition filed by residents led by Ashok Ravat of Wecom Trust had raised objection only on the permission to use loudspeaker in the ground and not on decision allowing MNS to hold the rally on Gudi Padwa. The petitioners had contended that the park was a silence zone and even if anybody was allowed to use the ground for non-sports activity, as per the Government Resolution (GR) the police or the BMC did not have the power to grant permission to use loudspeakers because, as it was a silence zone, the use of loudspeakers could not be allowed there in any case.
When the bench asked the state to inform it about its stand on allowing the use of loudspeakers in a silence zone. However, government pleader Purnima Kantharia could not answer the query. The judges then directed the state government to state its policy on allowing loudspeakers in silence zones and also whether Shivaji Park fell in the silence zone area. They asked the state to include this information in the compliance report on the next occasion.
Though the court refused to interfere in this matter, it has asked the state to monitor the noise decibel level on April 8 and record the same. The judges also asked the state government to take stringent action against violators of noise pollution rules. The bench further asked the state government to file a compliance report on April 13 along with the noise level record and posted the matter for hearing on April 15.
