The Gujarat High Court has directed the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) to monitor sound levels for three days at a Navratri garba venue in Veraval, Gir Somnath, after a public interest petition challenged the event’s organisation in a designated silent zone.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manas Ranjan and Justice Nikhil Kariel asked the authorities to collect fresh data from the disputed location, make necessary improvements where required and submit the report to the court. The direction was issued during a hearing in which the state government presented its position on the noise pollution complaint.
According to the report by Nav Gujarat Samay, the petitioners have not opposed garba events as such but have questioned the holding of the programme in a silent zone. The GPCB had inspected the venue and issued a notice to the organisers to comply with applicable rules. The pollution control board also placed its inspection report before the court.
The government told the court that the sound-level data submitted by the petitioners had been recorded using a mobile phone and may not conform to the prescribed measurement method. The government’s submission stated that sound levels at the location exceeded 60 decibels, against a stated limit of 45 decibels. However, GPCB data reportedly showed that the sound level at the same location was also above 60 decibels when garba events were not being held.
The authorities attributed some of the background sound to the location’s proximity to a highway and the sea. The government also submitted that readings taken through a mobile phone and those recorded using a sound meter could differ by 18 decibels. The area also hosts street-level garba events involving traditional instruments without an electronic sound system, according to the report.
The court said that if the sound was intolerable, it should be reduced or the activity should be stopped. It also observed that practical steps could be taken, including changing the direction of loudspeakers and lowering the volume. The court asked the authorities to place a better three-day report before it instead of relying only on the existing assessment.
During the hearing, the government’s lawyer argued that even the horns of two or three vehicles could push sound levels beyond 100 decibels, making strict compliance with the numerical limits difficult in practice. The court’s direction, however, keeps the focus on obtaining location-specific measurements during the event and on taking corrective action where excessive sound is found.
The case also refers to a 2000 notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests concerning the use of loudspeakers and public-address systems at public and private places. Under the guidelines cited before the court, organisers must obtain prior permission from the district magistrate or police commissioner, and sound systems cannot be used at night. The GPCB has been directed to complete the next three days of monitoring and submit its findings to the High Court.
