the goan I network
PANAJI
Some 26 senior bureaucrats and police officers of the rank of superintendent of police (SP) and deputy superintendents of police (DySP) have been designated as “Authority” to check noise pollution and maintain ambient air quality.
The two district magistrates - R Meneka and Ajit Roy - both officers of the Indian Administrative Service top the list. The list also includes the two District Superintendents of Police - Utkrisht Prasoon, IPS (North Goa) and Arvind Gawas (South Goa) - besides the DySPs who head the eight police sub-divisions.
Additionally also designated as ‘Authority’ under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 are the two Additional Collectors (I) of North and South Goa districts besides all the deputy collectors who head all twelve administrative sub-divisions
or talukas.
The Deputy Collectors appointed thus are: Shashank Tripahti, IAS, (Tiswadi), Kedar Naik (Ponda), Sudhir Kerkar (Bardez), Sachin
Desai (Bicholim), Chandrakant Shetkar (Pernem), Mangaldas Gaonkar (Sattari), Satish Prabhu (Salcete), Paresh Fal Dessai (Mormugao), Rohit Kadam (Quepem), Ajay Gawade (Sanguem), Pritidas Gaonkar (Canacona) and Pradeep Naik (Dharbandora).
Director of Environment Johnson Fernandes, who also doubles up as ex-officio Joint Secretary to the government, issued the notification designating these civil and police officers as ‘Authority’ under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
Environmentalists and other civil society activists have been at loggerheads with tourism entrepreneurs, particularly those running pubs, night clubs and restaurants who play amplified music and pollute the surroundings with noise. The matter eventually landed before the Bombay High Court which set the rules which the Environment Department is now hoping to resolve.
