Goa State Pollution Board Chairman Levinson Martins, while briefing the media on Tuesday, reiterated that music after 10 pm must stop, including weddings, with the exception of the 15 notified days, and stressed the fact that the law is not universal to Goa and applicable across the country. He also mentioned that noise violations can be reported 24×7 on the designated phone number, and complaints will go straight to police and deputy collectors, with even daytime decibel breaches being punishable with fines, and suspension of licences for repeat offenders. While stating that online monitoring is happening across 38 hotspots, the chairman appealed to commercial establishments and event organisers to strictly adhere to timings, failing which swift action will be taken.
Now rewind to the Assembly session. Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, while speaking during Zero Hour at last week’s Assembly session, named outlets that have been flouting noise pollution rules by playing loud music till the early hours of the morning. “This is not entertainment, it is harassment,” he had said, pointing out the effects on students and senior citizens. More importantly, there was a mention that repeated complaints have been falling on deaf ears. The menace of noise pollution is reported to be prevalent across Assagao, Baga, Calangute, Candolim, Anjuna, Vagator-Ozran, Morjim, Ashvem, Mandrem, Agonda, and Palolem.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in his reply, assured the House that he would direct the police to immediately look into the matter and take necessary action. But that has not helped either. The following weekend, after the session, saw business as usual along the Anjuna-Vagator coastal belt. Furthermore, clubs have already started advertising as usual for dusk-to-dawn parties in the run-up to the Republic Day finale. This year, it could be even worse because the Republic Day holiday is on Monday.
The point here is, if there is a law in place that is applicable across the country, what stops authorities from enforcing it? Why should it apply only to weddings that are forced to close by 10-10.30 pm? The GSPCB has a crucial responsibility against sound violations, but why was it failing? For the past few sessions, the government has been giving assurances categorically on the floor of the House to clamp down on noise pollution, with no visible change on the ground.
We recall last year’s January observations of the High Court of Bombay at Goa, where it directed authorities to strictly ensure that no outdoor music is played beyond 10 pm. The court had directed the police to submit details of action it took on complaints and also directed the GSPCB to furnish details of outlets that violated rules in December. Surprisingly, out of the nightclubs that installed online sound level monitoring system, four clubs which was under scrutiny were given a clean chit by the police.
The GSPCB Chairman may have just explained the law and the remedies available to common citizens. That does not solve the problem. The fact of the matter is that the common citizen who is caught in this whirlpool of party noise has no option when the entire machinery is failing. On paper, there are laws, penalties, several agencies and authorities, and a helpline. Collectively, the State should have had a water-tight mechanism against violations. When none of these protocols work, it reflects a compromised system, and the GSPCB is a part of it. So let’s not only talk about what the law provides, let’s debate on why there are failures. Now that Martins has raised new hopes, let’s wait and watch.
