Microphones and large speakers have been blatantly flouting noise norms at a book fair organised by the Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Guild next to a hospital at Jodhpur Park in south Kolkata since Sunday. The Noboborsho Boi Utsab is scheduled to be held till April 25 and a series of programmes have been lined up every evening.
An environmental group has already filed a complaint with the environment minister, who has promised action.
The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and 93 Club Somonnoy Parishad are co-organisers of the event.
Police and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) blamed each other as musical programmes and speeches continued for several hours on the makeshift podium at the Taltala ground even as patients of the Aurobindo Seva Kendra (EEDF) suffered silently. The stage has come up right outside the boundary wall of the hospital, making the “noise epicentre” less than 10 metres away from EEDF.
“As per the Act, the onus is on the police to stop the violation; we have already communicated to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the local Lake police station about an earlier violation,” stated a PCB official; which had recently hauled up the organisers of another fair at the same spot for similar violation, but no punitive measures were taken.
“We will act as per the PCB’s guidance. The music system was not played at high pitch,” said a senior police officer when asked about the violation, ignoring the fact that there is a blanket ban on use of microphones in the open around a hospital.
Major violation; complaint to minister
“This is a major violation. As per the Noise Rules 2000, under the Environment Protection Act 1986, no music system should be operating within 100 metres of any hospital, which is a ‘silent zone’, and any violation should be penalised under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act 1986 and offenders could be fined up to Rs 1 lakh and/or a jail term of up to five years,” said Biswajit Mukherjee, a retired chief law officer of the state PCB and a former special officer appointed by Calcutta High Court for noise norms violation.
Mukherjee pointed out that though, under the Act, the onus is on the officer in-charge of the local police station to stop the violation, the PCB can impose a pollution cost on the violators, as well as lodge an FIR under the Environment Protection Act.
“We have already complained to the minister of environment as well as chairman and member secretary of state PCB with photographic evidence of the violation. We will also send a copy to the city police commissioner soon, and also plan to take it up during an ongoing noise litigation at Calcutta High Court,” said Naba Dutta, secretary of the environment platform Sabuj Mancha.
The noise level often crossed 80 decibels
“On April 17, we visited the place in the evening and found that high decibel music was being played, adjacent to the EEDF Hospital. It is astonishing how such a violation could happen so close to a hospital; and the administration, particularly the local police, can turn a blind eye. Thus, we request immediate action against the stated noise norm violation and violators as well as errant officials and stopping any further violation hereafter in the stated place,” read the Sabuj Mancha letter, a copy of which is with The Plurals.
“The violation has occurred at several levels: firstly, the use of music system within 100 metres of a hospital considered a silence zone and also because no sound limiter was used as directed by National Green Tribunal, leading to an ambient noise level that was much above the permissible limit of 50 decibel in a ‘Silent Area’… we found noise level around 80 decibels; about 30 decibels above the limit,” explained a representative of the green platform.
According to experts, a decibel rise of 10 decibel doubles up the pressure on the eardrums of the recipient.
The Plurals, while visiting the mela ground, found that the programmes were continuing in full steam with blaring music systems and the noise level often crossed 80 decibels.
“We are not doing anything new; microphones keep blaring routinely at all fares organised here,” pointed out a senior official of the Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Guild, the main organisers, when quizzed on the alleged violation.
Regular ordeal, claims hospital; minister promises action
“This has become a regular ordeal as fairs are organised on the ground adjacent to the hospital and patients have to bear the brunt. About two months ago, PCB officials came to probe an earlier violation, and promised that there would not be a repetition; but another round of noise menace started from Sunday and neither the PCB nor the police has taken any action so far,” said an official of Aurobindo Seva Kendra (EEDF) on Monday evening.
“I have asked the state PCB to take appropriate steps,” said Manas Bhunia, state environment minister who is a physician himself, to The Plurals after receiving the complaint.
“We are carrying out a probe and will take actions based on that,” said Kalyan Rudra, chairman of the WBPCB on Tuesday evening.
It may be recalled that following the Plurals’ report on an earlier fair at the same venue which had a blaring music system, the PCB had showcaused the organisers and had mentioned in their inspection report that “We make it clear that the mela was organised within “Silence Zone areas”, that is within 100 metres of hospitals/nursing home … as per the provision of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 … and also the orders issued by the Hon’ble High Court and Hon’ble National Green Tribunal, no microphones to be used or operated within ‘Silence Zone Areas”.
The PCB order further pointed out that the officer in-charge of the local police station “Is at liberty to take action in accordance with law as the area notified under the Silent Zone … in case of violation of this order”.
The PCB’s promised action, however, rings hollow; as repeat violation is happening at the same spot within two months of the earlier order.