Loud music ‘disturbs’ Baga Retreat House

Team Herald

BAGA: The number of people visiting Xavier Retreat House in Baga, for retreats has dropped on account of the loud music allegedly played by the shacks and bar and restaurants with the authorities failing to curb the noise pollution.

Jesuit fathers at Xavier Retreat House in Baga, Calangute complain of disturbance due to the loud music allegedly played by the shacks and bar and restaurants and informed that there has been a drop in the number of people visiting this place for retreats. 

The senior citizens, children and locals too complained of being affected by this nuisance allegedly created by shacks, bars and restaurants to entertain tourists.

This retreat house was constructed in 1952 to cater to the spiritual needs of the people of Goa. The Director of the Retreat House, Fr Lawry Trinidade, informed Herald that they can no longer provide the people visiting the place with serene atmosphere due to noise pollution. Loud music is played from evening till the wee hours of the morning affecting those attending retreats here.

“The owners of bar and restaurants situated at Baga have violated the Noise Pollution Regulation and Control Rules, 2000. Shacks during the season play loud music. Practically every day I call up the police but in vain. Sometimes the police turn up to check on the same while at times they do not even bother. At times the shacks reduce the volume following police intervention but after they leave the music is back to full volume,” he lamented.

“There is definitely a shack-police nexus as the shacks owners seem to be fearlessly playing blaring music from 10 pm to 4 am. This is affecting our functioning and sleep too. We want the authorities to declare the area of 200 metres radius from our boundary as Silence Zone. Hopefully the serenity and tranquility of this place will be maintained,” he hoped.

The Retreat House Director said he complained to the Police Department but in vain. All complaints seem to have fallen on deaf ears. 

On April 10, the District Magistrate North Goa Collector forwarded the complaint to the Department of Science, Technology and Environment in Porvorim after which a site inspection was carried out.

On May 10, Nilesh Parsekar (Scientific Assistant) and Waman Chari (Sr Lab Assistant) deputed by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) carried out a site inspection at the retreat house located on the hill across the Baga creek with an aerial distance of approx 500 metres away from the shacks.

The inspection report stated that the duo conducted noise monitoring at the entrance approximately three metres away from the retreat house between 10.51 pm and 11.51 pm and the noise level recorded was 64.1 db (A). It was noticed that the music played at the shacks was exceeding the permissible limits, 45 dB (A) for residential zone prescribed under the Noise (Regulation and Control of Pollution) Rules, 2000 for residential area during the night from 10 pm to 6 am.

Calangute PI Jivba Dalvi informed that whenever they receive any call they verify the same. Calangute Police station has received several complaints from the Xavier Retreat House. There are special tourist police at the beach till 2 am and are instructed to inform the police station about people playing loud music so the cops can take legal action against such activities.

“The GSPCB should have given us the official compliant of their findings so we could file an FIR in this regard. At the same time the Retreat House comes under the jurisdiction of the Anjuna Police Station,” he said.

While police department sources revealed that in order to conduct the raid under the Environment Prevention Act and seize the sound system the presence of the Deputy Superintendent of Police is mandatory.