The Gujarat High Court has directed the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) to submit three days of fresh noise-level data from a Garba venue in Veraval, Gir Somnath, after a public interest petition raised concerns about sound pollution in a designated silent zone.
During the hearing on October 16, the court said that if the sound level was unbearable, it should be reduced or the event should be stopped. The court also suggested changing the direction of loudspeakers to limit the impact on surrounding areas.
The petition was filed by two residents of Gir Somnath who, according to the report, told the court that they were not opposed to Garba events but had raised objections to the आयोजन being held in a silent zone. The venue is near a hospital and therefore falls within the area subject to silent-zone noise restrictions.
The GPCB had inspected the venue and issued a notice to the organisers to comply with applicable rules. It also submitted a report and referred to a 2000 notification issued by the Union environment ministry covering the use of loudspeakers and public address systems at public and private locations.
According to the material placed before the court, sound levels at the location were expected to remain within 45 decibels during the night. Data submitted by the petitioner, recorded using a mobile phone, showed levels above 60 decibels. However, the GPCB said its own measurements showed that the location recorded sound levels above 60 decibels even when Garba was not taking place. The board attributed the background levels partly to the nearby highway and sea.
The court was also told that there was an 18-decibel difference between the mobile-phone recording and readings taken with a sound meter. The authorities said that neighbourhood Garba events were also held around the venue without sound systems, using traditional instruments instead.
The government advocate argued that applying the prescribed parameters strictly could be difficult in practical conditions. The submission noted that even two or three lawyers speaking slightly loudly in court could cross 45 decibels, while vehicle horns could exceed 100 decibels. The court nevertheless asked the authorities to produce a better three-day report from the Garba site.
The report states that permission from the district magistrate or police commissioner is required for the use of loudspeakers and public address systems. It also says that permission for sound-system use between 10 pm and midnight must be obtained in advance, with an application made 15 days before the event. The court was told that the organisers had received a notice and that a copy had also been sent to the local police.
The court observed that the issue was not limited to Veraval and concerned the organisation of Garba events across Gujarat. It said the government would have to determine how events could be conducted during the nine days of Navratri, while noting that intervention would be possible in cases brought before it. The GPCB is expected to place the next three days of sound-level data before the court.
