JOIN USThe High Court on Wednesday directed the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to furnish the data pertaining to noise pollution in Bengaluru and Mysuru cities.
Hearing a petition by Sumangali Swamy, a division bench comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice Ram Mohan Reddy directed the KSPCB to inform the court about the number of noise monitoring equipment available with the board and those in working condition, during the next hearing.
Swamy had moved the Court seeking to stop the use of loudspeakers by a religious organisation of a particular community at Govindarajnagar.
The petitioner had stated that the use of loudspeaker had caused a lot of noise pollution in the area. She had claimed that the KSPCB and the police had not bothered to address the problem despite repeated complaints.
The pollution control board received a dressing down from the court after the police submitted that the former does not cooperate with them in enforcing the rules.
The bench lashed out at the board saying, “Despite many instructions, you continue with your ways. This is nothing but day-to-day and minute-to-minute offence. You have all the necessary infrastructure. The Supreme Court has banned the use of loudspeaker. This is the question of public interest, not being for or against a religion,” the bench said.
The court noted that people have started accepting pollution as part of their life. Nearly 90 per cent of people have gone deaf due to inability of KSPCB in discharging its duties.
The bench directed the scientific officer of KSPCB to be present before the court during the next hearing.