MAPUSA: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its order dated December 23 has directed the organisers of the electronic dance music festival Sunburn to get CRZ approvals before holding the event. It further directed the organisers of the mega music event that is taking place in the State for the past seven years to ensure permission from the revenue department regarding compliance with the entertainment tax rules and coordination on law and order via CCTVs along with police authorities.
The NGT has also directed the Pollution Control Board to monitor the event for the time limits and sound levels.
The Western Zone Bench of the NGT, comprising Justice V R Kingaonkar (judicial member) and Dr Ajay Deshpande (expert member) granted the ad-interim relief to the petitioners on December 23. The next hearing is on January 15, where the authorities have to submit a compliance report.
“By way of ad-interim relief, we direct that the organizers of ‘Sunburn’ festival shall not be allowed to conduct the event, without their obtaining necessary permissions like CRZ permission, so required under the law,” the NGT order said.
The organizers also have to ensure permission “from the Revenue department as regards entertainment tax, if so required, the police authorities for maintaining law and order situation, the Pollution Control Board, so on and so forth.”
“We also direct that the Pollution Control Board (PCB) shall monitor the event for ensuring compliance of sound decibels, through use of sound measuring equipments, inside and outside the place of event, with the police help, if necessary, and such police help shall be made available by the local police,” the NGT order adds.
The NGT made it clear that the PCB would have to mobilize all possible resources to ensure availability of equipment to monitor the sound decibel.
“The Pollution Control Board, if is not able to get number of equipments for monitoring sound decibels, such equipments may be temporarily borrowed from other States, on making special request or may be hired from their funds for short duration of three days of the festival,” stated the NGT order, which is returnable on January 15, 2015.
“The Pollution Control Board shall also ensure that the festival time limits shall not be allowed to exceed beyond the permissible time allowed by the competent authority….”
“The police authorities may not allow obscenities by keeping close watch and by installation of CCTVs.”
