Pune: Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat and five others on Thursday filed a contempt petition in the high court (HC) accusing Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar of “willful and deliberate failure to comply” with the HC’s binding directions to curtail noise pollution caused by various events in the city over the past three years.To buttress their point, the petitioners annexed elaborate studies of institutions like College of Engineering Pune Technological University, highlighting how noise pollution has grown to the extreme levels as compared to the prescribed norms for industrial, commercial, residential and silence zones over the past three years and the authorities doing very little to curtail it.“We will file a praecipe (formal, written request) with the court on Monday seeking an urgent hearing of the matter. The matter is not just restricted to noise pollution during festivals but affects the citizens throughout the year,” advocate Satya Muley, representing the petitioners, told TOI on Friday.Muley claimed “willful non-compliance” of HC’s binding directions issued on Aug 20, 2024, which specifically laid down mandatory measures for control, regulation and enforcement of laws related to noise pollution. He said religious, cultural and political events, processions and sports activities were being conducted in the city with excessive noise levels, thereby violating statutory norms and the fundamental right of residents to a peaceful environment.“In the past (2023-24), we approached the HC with a similar grievance but were asked to file complaints with the Pune commissioner of police (CP). We did, but there has been no action,” Muley added.The petitioners made a specific reference to para 102 of the HC order of Sept 20, 2016, in a PIL 173/2010, which stated that on receiving a complaint, the authority concerned shall apply its mind and consider issuing an order of suspension of licence/permission granted to use loudspeaker or public address system under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.The para further stated that a police officer shall be deputed to the site concerned with a necessary machine/equipment to test if noise level exceeds the ambient noise standards. The officer shall immediately report to the authority to enable the latter to take action. If the police officer notices that a public address system or loudspeaker is being used without licence/permission, he shall forthwith ensure that its use is stopped.If the officer finds that the loudspeaker or public address system is used by the licence holder during night hours on any day not specified in the noise pollution rules, the officer concerned shall immediately ensure that it is stopped, the para read.The petitioners said despite such specific directions, there had been rampant and continued violations of the said judgment, as well as the binding directions of the Supreme Court, in matters concerning noise pollution within Maharashtra.ABGP had filed PIL 191/2023 highlighting persistent breaches of the noise pollution rules, particularly within Pune city. The HC then iterated and directed strict compliance of para 102 of the order in PIL 173/2010.
