HC raps govt over rising noise levels

The high court on Friday expressed unhappiness over the government’s failure to comply with its order to control noise pollution across Bengaluru.

A divisional bench of Chief Justice Abhay S Oka and Mohammed Nawaz was hearing a petition filed by various organisations of Indiranagar. 

The bench insisted that the advocate general, during the next hearing on September 13, explain the action the government has taken in the matter. 

“We had given several directions during the hearing on July 23, including categorising silence zone and installation of a device to measure noise pollution. Despite this, the government has shown its negligence and it will not be tolerated,” the court observed. 

After 18 years of implementation of the regulations related to prevention of noise pollution, the government is still dilly-dallying to act on it, the court noted. 

Meanwhile, it directed the pollution control board to check pubs and bars for noise pollution.

Artificial light tower

The HC issued an interim stay over the construction of the artificial light tower at Begur Lake by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.

While hearing the petition filed by the Citizen Action Forum and other organisations, the divisional bench of Chief Justice Abhay S Oka and Mohammed Nawaz issued the interim  stay over the civil work in the lake area.