Noise pollution fines can go upto Rs.1 lakh

NGT's order to curb noise pollution

• The National Green Tribunal approved the report of CPCB on noise pollution penalties and cleared fines going up to as high as Rs. 1 lakh.
• NGT Chairperson Mr Adarsh Kumar Goel said that the compensation scale laid down by the Board should be enforced throughout India with appropriate statutory orders to be complied by the States and Union Territories.
• The tribunal also ordered for setting up of a Monitoring Committee under retired HC Judge SP Garg along with Delhi Pollution Control Committee(DPCC), Delhi Police and Delhi Chief Secretary as its members for the compliance of noise pollution rules in the national capital.

Central Pollution Control Board's Report on Noise Pollution

• In the report submitted by the CPCB to NGT, the board had suggested penalties and fines for the offenders causing noise pollution.
• The CPCB set permissible noise standards and penalties for violations according to different zones including industrial zones, construction sites, residential zones and silence zones such as hospitals and educational institutes.
• For example, according to the Board's report, a fine of Rs 10,000 would be levied for misuse of loudspeakers and public address system, besides seizure of equipment.
• It set the permissible noise levels for residential areas as 55 decibels (dB [A]) during the day and 45 dB(A) at night For industrial areas as 75 dB (A) during the day and 70 dB (A) at night. The standard noise limit for silence zones such as hospitals and educational institutions during day time as 50 dB (A) and 40dB (A) during the night.

Do you think these measures would curb the menace of Noise Pollution?

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