Mumbai residents will be permitted to use loudspeakers until midnight on October 17, 18 and 19 during Navratri, after the Mumbai Suburban district collector approved a festival-related relaxation and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation gave its consent.
The permission allows loudspeakers to operate from 6 am to 12 midnight on all three days. The extension on October 17, which falls on a Saturday, was granted after appeals from various organisations, according to a report by the Times of India.
The relaxation covers October 17 as well as the eighth and ninth days of Navratri, October 18 and 19. While the timing has been extended, organisers must continue to comply with the prescribed ambient noise standards for the area where the loudspeakers are used.
The permitted ceiling is 55 decibels in residential areas, 65 decibels in commercial areas and 50 decibels in silence zones. The limits mean that the midnight permission does not allow sound levels to exceed the applicable standards.
The decision places enforcement responsibility within Mumbai’s existing system of district and civic administration. The suburban district collector approved the relaxation, while the BMC also granted approval, according to the report. The supplied information does not specify the number of venues covered, the enforcement mechanism or the penalties for violations.
For residents, the order changes the usual time boundary for amplified festival sound on three specified dates. The distinction between residential, commercial and silence zones remains relevant because the permitted sound level varies by location, with silence zones carrying the strictest limit.
The relaxation is limited to the dates and hours stated in the approval. Loudspeakers may be used from 6 am to midnight on October 17, 18 and 19, subject to the applicable ambient noise standards.
