A garba event in a designated silent zone in Veraval has come under scrutiny before the Gujarat High Court after two petitioners from Gir Somnath raised concerns about noise disturbance and alleged violations of sound regulations. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) told the court that the event was causing disturbance and submitted an inspection report along with a notice issued to the organisers.
The petitioners clarified that they were not opposed to garba events but had objected to the organisation of the programme in a silent zone. The event venue is located near a hospital, which brings it within the silent-zone framework, according to the submissions reported before the court.
The GPCB informed the High Court that its officials had inspected the venue following the petition. The board also placed before the court a 2000 notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests concerning the use of loudspeakers and public-address systems at public and private places.
Under the rules cited before the court, organisers using loudspeakers or public-address systems for such events must obtain prior permission from the district magistrate or police commissioner. The use of sound systems at night is restricted. The report also stated that advance permission must be obtained 15 days before an event if loudspeakers are to be used between 10 pm and midnight.
The sound limit applicable during night hours in a silent zone was cited as 45 decibels. Photographs of the garba venue were submitted before the court, while the GPCB said the organisers had been served a notice directing them to comply with the applicable rules.
The notice gives the organisers two days to comply, according to the report. A copy has also been sent to the local police. The GPCB told the court that action to stop an event for violating the rules must generally be preceded by a notice to the organisers.
The High Court directed the pollution control board to conduct surprise checks. It observed that the issue was not limited to Veraval but concerned the whole of Gujarat. The court also indicated that the government would have to determine how garba events should be organised during the nine days of Navratri.
The proceedings place the focus on the enforcement system governing temporary public events: permission from the designated authorities, inspections by the pollution control board, police coordination and action after non-compliance. They also highlight the practical conflict between festival programming and the special noise protections applicable around hospitals and other silent-zone locations.
The court said it could intervene in the petitions before it. The immediate compliance period for the organisers and the GPCB’s surprise checks are the next reported steps in the matter.
