Decibel levels hit 140dB as State-sponsored event in the town ignores 10 pm cutoff; citizens accuse govt of ‘double standards’ over noise pollution enforcement; slam selective policing of weddings; Margao Police claim ‘no complaints’
R: The extended weekend saw the government’s stance on noise pollution float in the air with the Department of Tourism flouting the norm of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) that amplified music cannot be played in open air venues beyond 10 pm. The GSPCB had issued a warning that all music, including at weddings and private functions, must strictly stop by 10 pm. Music at the Goa Food and Cultural Festival held at Rajendra Prasad Stadium went on till 11 pm on Friday and Saturday and in North Goa music could be heard well past sunrise.
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The entry gate all decorated at Goa Food and Cultural Festival at Margao
“Our weddings are stopped if no bribes are paid and here we can see one government department openly ignoring the norms set down by another. This is disgraceful governance” – Arthur D’Souza, attendee at the Goa Food and Cultural Festival
“We have not received any complaint. I will cross check” – Arun Desai, Officiating Margao PI on being informed that loud music was being played at the venue
“Loud music can still be heard from inside my house and it is 10 am. It could be heard all night and with tomorrow (Monday) being a Republic Day holiday, this will go on” – Roysal D’Souza, Anjuna resident
“I do think the government should allow weddings in non-residential areas to go on at least till 11 pm or a bit later because people do not turn up in time for weddings due to traffic constraints” – Ayesha Barretto, RJ and master of ceremonies
“Why are weddings and local festivals being silenced?” was the refrain over Goa as many, who were disturbed by the noise, tried to take solace on Sunday. On Saturday, while the decibel meter reading oscillated between 130 to 140dB at 10.45 pm outside the Rajendra Prasad stadium, where the Goa Food Festival was being held, many locals saw it as a slap by the government on its own Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).
People unable to sleep due to noise all through the night are happy with the Supreme Court order – not allowing amplified music after 10 pm – but many locals fret over the selective attitude of the government in stopping music after 10 pm and allowing bars and restaurants catering to tourists play all night.
“Our weddings are stopped if no bribes are paid and here we can see one government department openly ignoring the norms set down by another. This is disgraceful governance,” said Arthur D’Souza as he left the Goa Food and Cultural Festival unable to digest the contradictions in governance.
“Wedding reception is not a church festivity. I am nobody to comment on activities that happen beyond the purview of the church. However, this matter needs deliberation,” stated Fr Loyola Pereira, Secretary to Archbishop Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrão.
Loud music or noise pollution is viewed differently by locals in the North and South Goa. In the North, many want the ban to be effective after 10 pm because units play loud music till sunrise 24/7. The story touches a tender note in South Goa as traditional wedding festivities are curbed after the introduction of the order. Whilst the government does nothing to curb noise pollution in the north, despite numerous complaints by the locals, people in the south decry the monitoring by the police in the district during wedding festivities.
“I am on leave since yesterday. Arun Desai has taken charge,” stated Margao Police Inspector Suraj Samant when asked how loud music was allowed to be played during the Goa Food and Cultural Festival beyond permissible time and sound limits.
“We have not received any complaint,” said Arun Desai. “I will cross check,” he said on being informed that loud music was being played in the presence of a large police force at the venue.
“Loud music can still be heard from inside my house and it is 10 am. It could be heard all night and with tomorrow (Monday) being a Republic Day holiday, this will go on,” expressed a disgusted Roysal D’Souza from Anjuna.
“I have been calling the GSPCB and the Anjuna Police to no avail. The police ask me where the music is on when it is their job to go and check. The statements of the GSPCB chairman had given us some hope of sleep. There has been one occasion when I complained to them and it worked. That happiness has dissipated now,” explained D’Souza.
Though many living on the northern coastal belt want a ban after 10 pm, locals in the hinterland in north and south expected the government to look at wedding and village feasts differently.
“I do think the government should allow weddings in non-residential areas to go on at least till 11 pm or a bit later because people do not turn up in time for weddings due to traffic constraints,” thinks Ayesha Barretto, RJ and master of ceremonies.
“It is sad for people who spend so much time and money for their wedding to see it curtailed by a short time frame. It is also a pity that people do not realise that they have to start early to reach the celebrations in time. Reaching late is a style that needs to be changed,” said Barretto.
Whilst the music at Goa Food and Cultural festival went on past 10 pm, it stopped at the 10 pm at Festa do Povo at Patto in Panjim where the attendance was bigger.
“We follow the rules and the law. All those who came went away happily after ten. If the Department of Tourism does not want to follow the rules, it is their business,” said Aloo Gomes Pereira, one of the think tanks of the festival organised by Panjimites.
