The Hindu : TNPCB campaign against noise pollution falls on deaf ears

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 31, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

TNPCB campaign against noise pollution falls on deaf ears

By Akila Dinakar

CHENNAI May 30. All campaigns by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the Chennai City Police on the abatement of noise pollution seems to have fallen on deaf ears at Saidapet, which is now awaiting polling on Friday.

Despite campaigns by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on noise pollution and stating that it is illegal to use cone speakers and loud speakers should be used with police permission to address very large gatherings, political parties made free use of loud speakers at Saidapet.

Political parties holding street-corner meetings in several parts of city not only throw rules but humane consideration to the winds. A common scene is near the Madras Medical Mission Hospital at J.J. Nagar which treats patients with heart ailments. In the recent months, meetings held by both the DMK and the AIADMK near the Hospital had blaring cone speakers. Residents doubt the value of complaining with 103 for noise pollution as such meetings took place with adequate police bandobust, uniformed personnel standing at the very spot where the cone speakers were fixed.

The complaints cell of the TNPCB said it received just one call regarding noise pollution from loudspeakers during the Saidapet elections. While the Cell receives an average of 20 complaint calls per day, the Board looks into complaints regarding industrial pollution. The rest of the complaints are referred to the police which is vested with penal powers for acting on offences for noise pollution in city generated by public address systems.

Even with the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 stating that areas comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions and courts be declared as silence zones, where it is punishable to use sound amplifiers, residents wonder how the police permitted blatant violations right in their presence.

The judgement given in the case of using loudspeakers for religious purposes in the case of Church of God (Full Gospel) in India versus the K.K.R. Majestic Colony Welfare Association in the Supreme Court of India had given an overview, which could be extended to political parties. The judgement came down heavily against ``activities, which disturb old or infirm persons, babies in the neighbourhood who are entitled to enjoy their natural right of sleep in a peaceful atmosphere''.

Elaborating on the ill-effects of noise pollution like interruption of sleep, hearing loss or deafness, high blood pressure, depression, irritability, fatigue, gastro-intestinal problems, allergy, distraction, mental stress and annoyance the judgement noted that there was a lack of awareness among the citizens as well as the implementation authorities about the rules and its duty to implement them. ``Noise polluting activities are rampant and yet for one reason or the other, the aforesaid Rules or the rules framed under various State Police Acts are not enforced'', the court observed.

Referring to the violation of noise pollution by legislators and the legislators-to-be, a Saidapet resident subjected to bombardment by blaring loudspeakers said, ``Such things are made an issue when the common man violate, but when the law-makers violate the issue is brushed under the carpet''.

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