Despite oversight by the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court, nightclubs in Vagator and Anjuna are blatantly flouting Supreme Court orders prohibiting loud music after 10 pm, leaving residents sleepless and frustrated. Gerald Fernandes, a retired captain and member of the court-appointed Noise Monitoring Committee (NMC), visited Anjuna Police Station at 00:50 hours on Sunday to report the ongoing violations after personally witnessing the issue.
“I received a call at around 5 pm on Saturday from an individual who called himself Gaonkar. He complained about the loud music being played and when I told him to complain to 112, he told me he was scared as he would then be visited by unscrupulous people. He sounded frightened and in distress,” explained Fernandes.
Determined to verify the claims, Fernandes, accompanied by local residents, toured Vagator and Anjuna after 10 pm. Their findings exposed a stark contrast to the compliance reports submitted to the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court in Contempt Petition 12 of 2023. “We stopped at a place called Diaz whose operation is supposed to have been suspended by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) for hiding their online noise monitoring system but, were shocked to see a party go on well after midnight,” Fernandes informed the PSI of Anjuna Police Station via a mobile phone provided by the station staff.
Fernandes noted further violations at multiple venues: “I went around Vagator and clubs Raeeth, Dynamo, Noah, Café Co2 were playing loud music well beyond 11 pm. I do not have a decibel reader with me but these places are not supposed to be playing music after 10 pm. This visit today makes me understand the fear I could feel in the voice of the person who called me up,” he added.
The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court was informed on June 20, 2025, by the GSPCB that operations of M/s Diaz (a unit of P&P Food Corporation) were suspended, with orders sent to the Deputy Collector, SDM and Chief Electrical Engineer, Panaji, to ensure the unit’s closure and disconnection of electricity. Yet,O Heraldorecorded decibel levels between 1:30 am and 2:15 am on Sunday, confirming ongoing violations: Raeeth at 98 dB, Noah at 104 dB, Dynamo at 108 dB, Café Co2 at 104 dB, and M/s Diaz at 98 dB.
“It has been reported in newspapers that operations at M/s Diaz were suspended twice by GSPCB for concealing their noise monitoring system in a wooden box but the parties have been going on full blast. This is very strange because living next door, there has been no respite from loud music from the place,” stated Roy Cedric, a resident opposite M/s Diaz.
The persistent noise has taken a toll on locals. “It has been more than five years that I have been moving from one authority to another begging that we be allowed to sleep but wherever I go, empty promises flow,” said a distraught Janie Crasto, a mother of a child with disabili-ties, who accompanied Fernandes to the police station.
Fernandes’ late-night visit caught the Anjuna Police Station off guard, prompting officers to contact their superiors for guidance. The court-appointed NMC member was given a courteous hearing, but the ongoing defiance of Supreme Court orders by nightclubs raises questions about enforcement and accountability in Vagator and Anjuna’s vibrant party scene.