SPOTLIGHT: DEAFENING SILENCE ON LOUD MUSIC

“When night falls, Vagator turns into a party zone. The nightclubs and restaurants that have sprung up at every nook and corner of the little coastal village play deafening music throughout the night till the wee hours of the next day. While our children find it very difficult to focus on studies, the elderly and the sick simply dread the nightfall fearing the blasting music,” said Nilesh Phadte, a resident of Chapora.

Like Wayne and Nilesh, there are several others along the coastal belt who have a sorry tale to tell of how the deafening music has made their life miserable.

Loud music or noise pollution is a nuisance that locals along the coastal belt would love to live without.

The noisy spectacle, which some years ago was restricted mostly during the weekends, has now become a daily affair.

From Candolim-Calangute-Baga to Anjuna-Vagator and Morjim further upstream towards the North, the entire coastal belt is booming with loud music. Every nightclub and restaurant, and during the season every shack on the beach, plays loud music with scant respect to the noise pollution rules.

For domestic tourists, the sound of techno beats may be music to their ears, but for the residents, it’s a nuisance that has not only robbed them of their peace but turned their lives upside down.

With work-from-home culture gaining currency after the pandemic, 35-year-old Cedric Fernandes of Anjuna is paying a heavy price trying to adapt to the new environment.

Working from home has become a huge challenge for him as his house is surrounded by at least four nightclubs/restaurants which blast music throughout the night and day.

“The blaring music is taking a toll on me and my work. I cannot interact with my clients due to the noise pollution on account of loud music in my neighbourhood. Secondly, my mum is not keeping too well and cannot get proper sleep. It becomes worse during the weekends,” rues Fernandes, an IT professional.

Tourism fine, but adhere to law

Admittedly, Goa is a tourism State and the industry cannot survive without nightlife. With mining shut down, tourism is the next major industry which has been keeping the wheels of the economy chugging in the State.

A resident of Calangute, Premanand Diukar said the biggest violators of noise pollution rules were the shack owners at Baga who have been blasting the music with impunity.

He said each of these shacks, despite their proximity, belt out different kinds of music, reducing the sound of music into a farce.

“We know Goa is a touristic State, but there have to be some restrictions, and the law of the land takes precedence over other commitments. We don’t mind if some good music is played till 10 or latest by 11 pm. But after that, it has to be stopped. People can continue playing music in soundproof space, but not at the cost of putting your neighbour at risk,” said Diukar, who heads the Calangute Constituency Forum, an NGO.

According to Ravi Harmalkar of Anjuna, the kind of tourists Goa gets are cheap tourists who only come for clubbing and to do drugs. He further said the Russians who come to Goa were also low spenders.

“Dubai is also known for tourism. They also party and have music, but the parties are held indoors in soundproof enclosures. None of the residents is disturbed like how it is happening here. Why can’t we adapt like them? We have the rules but the implementation is a problem,” Harmalkar said.

Institutions also not spared

A nightclub in Siolim which is notorious for playing loud music has caused much consternation among the villagers for playing unbearable music throughout the night which ends only in the wee hours of the next day.

The music also affected the student community who could not focus on their studies as they prepared for the examination.

Headmaster Suraj Chodankar of Shree Vasant Vidyalaya High School in Siolim had also approached police and other authorities about the loud music played in the village.

“We don’t want the hotels/nightclubs to stop playing the music but they should reduce the sound or play the music in a soundproof set-up. At least during the time of examinations, the music should stop,” Chodankar said.

The Xavier Retreat House at Baga was also not spared from the scourge of the noisy music, forcing the priests to write to the Calangute Police about the problem not once but on numerous occasions. The priests also requested authorities concerned to seize the equipment and even cancel the licence of repeated offenders as per the law.

“We have no problem if they play the music till around 11 pm. But playing loud music till 4 in the morning is not acceptable as our sleep gets disturbed,” said Fr Augustine Fernandes, who is presently the in-charge of the retreat house.

He said police often ask them to pinpoint the offender, which was not possible.

Police fail to act

Complaints made to police against noise pollution are either ignored or have had very little impact.

Several residents, this reporter spoke to, have shown thick files of correspondence made to various authorities including the police, Collector, Goa pollution control board and the local panchayat without any success.

“Whenever we complain to police about loud music and if the police arrive at the site of the offence, the music either stops or the sound level drops. The coincidence is so very obvious. The moment the police leave the place, the music re-starts. This indicates that police tip off the nightclub/restaurant owners about their arrival,” said Ascension D’Souza of Gaumvaddi, Anjuna.

D’Souza along with others in a written complaint to authorities called out some prominent restaurants for causing a nuisance by blaring loud music in the vicinity.

The complaint stated that the loud music causes the doors and windows of the houses to vibrate, while the tourists attending the parties park their vehicles haphazardly blocking the access of the residents.

According to resident and activist Sagardeep Sirsaikar, police harass them, and instead of trying to resolve the issue, they threaten to file FIR against them for filing complaints.

“If we activists face harassment at the hands of the police, one can imagine the fate of a common man who dares to file a complaint against the violators,” Sirsaikar said.

In Calangute, a local Augustine D’Costa testified how the police and the violator worked in tandem to file a case against him.

D’Costa constantly complained against his neighbour for playing loud music in his villas he let out to tourists. Instead of taking action against the neighbour for violating music rules, Calangute police filed a case against D’Costa on an alleged false complaint lodged by the villa owner and attached his cell phone.

Noise pollution complaints viewed seriously, action taken, asserts SP

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While the Goa Police said that complaints against noise pollution were viewed very seriously and action has also been taken against those who violate noise pollution rules, the locals who are bombarded with noisy music in the coastal belt said that police were ineffective and failed to stop loud music.

“Whenever we receive a complaint, we take immediate action. We ensure that strict action is taken and no noise pollution issues are created,” said North Goa SP Shobit Saxena (IPS).

He also said all police stations along the coastal belt have been provided with a calibrated noise decibel meter and police were trained to use them.

“We take these complaints very seriously and ensure that wherever warranted, action is taken,” he said.

The SP further said police have also booked cases for noise pollution in the past.

The member of the High Court-appointed noise monitoring committee in Baga, Ranjana Saudhagar informed that music was played well beyond midnight in Baga and police failed to take any action against the violators.

“Initially, Calangute PI Dattaguru Sawant would receive my calls. Now the PI does not even take my phone calls. How can we expect justice from the police,” Saudhagar said.

A resident of Vagator, Sagardeep Sirsaikar informed that police harass people who dare to file complaints against those playing loud music.

“Police threaten to file FIR against us for filing complaints,” said Sirsaikar, who has filed PILs in the High Court against noise pollution.

A police official attached to a coastal police station informed that the general public doesn’t make calls, it’s the habitual persons (activists) who call.

“We receive a lot of fake calls about noise pollution. But whenever there are genuine complaints we take action,” the officer said.

High Court-appointed noise monitoring panels helpless?

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The High Court-appointed noise monitoring committees appear to be helpless in controlling the menace of loud music that continues unabated across the coastal belt, particularly in Anjuna and Vagator.

Some of the members of the committee said they have been complaining to the police about complaints of noise pollution but somehow nothing seems to be going right.

Ranjana Saudhagar, a member of the noise monitoring committee in Baga, informed that nobody was following the noise pollution rules and several times police were found wanting in taking action against complaints.

“It’s free for all in Baga with hoteliers and nightclubs playing loud music beyond 10 pm. Police are not taking any action. We are suffering,” Saudhagar moaned.

Ranjana further said that she even complained about the matter to the collector but there was no action from the authorities.

The member of the noise monitoring committee for Calangute Antonio D’Souza informed that their role was restricted to informing the police about any violation of noise pollution rules.

“The police have to stop the music and if the violator fails to stop playing loud music then the Deputy Superintendent of Police has a right to seize the equipment. But in most cases, the hoteliers take the police for granted,” D’Souza said.

He further informed that the hoteliers were “very powerful” and wouldn’t listen to anyone.

Interestingly, activists and residents were not impressed with the activities of the members of the noise monitoring committee.

“The noise monitoring committee is of no use. They don’t even take our calls. If the committee members do not respond to us, you can understand the fate of the common man,” said Sagardeep Sirsaikar, who has filed petitions in High Court against noise pollution.

According to Premanand Diukar, a resident of Calangute, the noise monitoring committee has miserably failed to stop the playing of loud music along the coastal belt.

“It appears the committee exists for namesake,” Diukar said.

Hoteliers say no to loud, repetitive music

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President of Small and Medium Hotels Association Serafino Cotta has said that music was part of Goa’s culture but playing loud music and music with repeated beats was a big danger for the tourism industry and the State.

Cotta also called for increasing the time limit for playing music which is now allowed till 10 pm.

“The music with repeated beats should be stopped. In Goa, we need music played systematically, under certain decibels and certain category types of music. And it should be allowed at least up to 11.30 pm,” Cotta said.

He said music with repeated beats (like boom, boom, boom) has a connection with drugs.

He further said that the United States of America has stopped such music with repeated beats to bring drug cases down.

“We have to learn from other nations. Music with repeated beats encourages the sale of drugs. The repeated beat is uncultured. Sometimes, there is a connection like where the music is played, what sort of music is played and for what client it is played,” he said.

Cotta said music was part of Goa’s heritage and culture and one cannot take away music from Goa.

“Our industry should not suffer and therefore deadlines for music to be played are very bad and should be increased,” he said.

General Secretary of Shack Owners Association, John Lobo, said music was much needed for the survival of the tourism industry but it should be played indoors in a soundproof environment and if played outside, it should be within the framework of the law.

“If the music is played outside/open air then it should be played within the time limit. At present, 10 pm is the deadline as per the noise pollution rules, but this can be relaxed up to 11 pm, after which it should be completely stopped,” Lobo said.

Lobo disclosed that he has been complaining about loud music for the last several years but nobody took him seriously.

“So some years back, I decided that if I can’t stop them then it is better I join them. I started playing music in my shack but wound up by 10 pm,” he said.

According to Lobo, not all tourists come for the music and some of them came to relax by the beach side.

“Calangute-Baga has become so noisy. I don’t think anyone would like their sleep to get disturbed by loud music,” Lobo said.