PANAJI
Reiterating that the pollution authority has no powers to act against noise pollution, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has declined to incorporate installation of CCTVs or online noise meters as mandatory condition for grant of Consent to Operate to various establishments along the coastal belts including beach shacks. The proposal was moved by the North Goa Collector.
The Board also maintained that the Sub-District Magistrate and Police Inspector of the particular area are the authorities to act in case of violations based on the real-time data provided to them by the GSPCB.
During the Board meeting held last month, the GSPCB deliberated on the decision undertaken by the District Collector pertaining to the control of noise pollution, wherein the authority was asked to issue directions to the establishments and beach shacks to install electronic sign boards to monitor sound decibel level.
The meeting also directed the Board to ensure that while issuing consents or permissions, the point of installation of CCTVs and noise meters should be included as mandatory conditions.
“Members after deliberations decided that installation of the electronic signboards to monitor sound decibel level, online noise meter and CCTVs cannot be incorporated as a condition in the Consent to Operate order issued to the establishments as the same does not come under the Water Act and Air Act,” reads, the minutes of the meeting.
The Board decided to inform the Collector requesting to entrust the responsibility of imposing such conditions to the Authority notified under the Noise Rules and the notified Noise Action Plan. It said that the Board grants Consent to Operate under Water Act and Air Act to various establishments for the purpose of running business or hotels or activities and not for playing music.
During the meeting the Member Secretary informed the members that GSPCB is “not the authority” under the Noise Rules 2000 or the Noise Action Plan to act, and further the real time noise monitoring stations are being transmitted on real-time basis to the office of the Police Inspector of the concerned region and SDM.
“As the police inspector and the SDM are the authorities responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Noise Rules, they are required to immediately act upon the violations that is exceedance of noise level or playing loud music in open beyond 10 pm after considering the noise level data transmitted to them on real time basis by the Board,” it said.
