Blaring Horns, Loud DJs, Sleepless Nights And Modified Silencers: Punekars Demand Action On Rising Noise Levels

Every year, International Noise Awareness Day is celebrated on April 30 to ensure that we become more aware of the negative effects of noise on our health.

With growing urbanization, Pune City has witnessed a rise in air, water, and noise pollution over the years. The residents have been raising their concerns over noise pollution for a long time now, but it is falling on deaf ears. There is currently no publicly available data from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) regarding the number of challans or fines issued for noise violations. Although the Board has the authority to impose fines amounting to several lakhs, it appears that this power has remained largely unused, despite receiving numerous complaints from the public.

Residents speak up

Monica Sharma, a Kalyani Nagar resident, highlighted that it is important to educate ourselves about the effects of noise and become more aware of the ways that we can employ to reduce noise. Most people do not understand the effect of noise on their bodies until it's too late.

"Noise pollution is disrupting daily life. Modified silencers roar louder than trucks, honking is constant even when unneeded, and loudspeakers blare without being mindful about the residents. This isn’t just annoying—it’s a serious health risk, especially for children, with the potential for permanent hearing loss. While we commend Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar for his strong actions and noise control drives, responsibility also lies with the MPCB. It’s time for urgent action on use of modified silencers, fine offenders, and strictly monitor loudspeaker use. We need peace, no noise, in our homes," added Monika.

Social activist Raj Singh said, "Be it fitness classes, entertainment mediums, or concerts, exposure to noise for prolonged time can be fatal for us. In the name of festivity, people play loud music, due to which both humans and animals suffer a lot. During any celebrations, we saw policemen on the spot but they didn’t ask the DJs to lower the volume of the music. A few weeks ago, I saw a couple celebrating their kid’s birthday, and they had called a DJ and blocked the entire road. The music was so loud that it was causing inconvenience to the commuters and people living nearby, but people these days have no fear of law. The authorities should deploy teams to keep a check and take action against those flouting the noise pollution norms."

Rajeshwari Lakhani, another resident, said, "Why do we have to be awake only on the international days, be it pollution of any type? We have to be vigilant every single day. There's noise from pubs, construction sites, and vehicles. I don't know what parts they fit into the vehicles, it's so screechy and annoying. First of all, these parts should be banned. The shops and online apps selling them should be banned. Noise pollution affects the babies, senior citizens, and animals the most. Children are not sleeping well and hence their health is affected. The Maharashtra Pollution Board should look into this and a weekly update should be put on the electronic big boards around the city. People should be aware of the increasing noise pollution. We need to learn this from foreign countries. We follow their food but not their lifestyle. It's high time now the government should look into this."

JS Salunkhe, regional officer, MPCB, said, "The small-scale housing project which creates noise pollution is not our responsibility. PMC should keep a check on such activities and take action against them. On the other hand, if there's a big project or an industry creating noise pollution, that is overlooked by us and we even take action against them. At present, we don't have the data, but we have taken action against industries and factories violating noise pollution norms. The rest, such as honking and vehicular noise pollution, is looked after by police. So we are taking care of our part. And we are strict about creating any kind of pollution."

As per the CPCB standard, the noise level in residential areas is set up to 55 decibels in the daytime while at night it is limited to 45 decibels. In commercial areas, the limit is set up to 65 dB in the daytime and 55 dB at night. For silence zones, it is up to 50 dB during the day and 40 during the night.