Noida: The return of loud celebrations with the band, ‘baaja’ and ‘baraat’ of the wedding season has brought back a headache for those who are not a part of them. Over the past few days, the residents of sectors 50 and 51 have been complaining about the noise pollution created by the numerous banquet halls there.According to the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), the permissible noise limits for residential areas are 55 dB during the day (from 6 am to 10 pm) and 45 dB at night (from 10 pm to 6 am). The sound limits in these sectors should never cross the levels of ambient sounds like that of a standard conversation between two people standing at most three feet apart. It is also comparable to the sounds of appliances like the humming of a refrigerator or that of a dishwasher.However, residents have said heavy bass sound from DJ sets and loud firecrackers that go well past the prescribed limits have kept them awake hours past their bedtime. Describing the issue as a “daily assault”, they have blamed the mushrooming of new banquet halls over the past five years as the main reason behind this growing issue.“Every time there’s a weekend or a wedding, the music goes on till late,” a resident of Sector 50, Sanjay Sabikhi, said. “Kids studying can’t concentrate. We can’t sleep. It goes on well beyond 10pm and I doubt if any of these banquets here take permission to keep their loudspeakers running.”Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations lodged a police complaint on March 27. But the federation president, Rajiva Singh, claimed that the situation has only worsened since then. “On Tuesday, between 9pm and 10.30pm, we endured the excruciating noise of DJ music and brass bands,” he said. “Firecrackers only added to the problem. This is a blatant disregard for environmental regulations established by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and orders from the Supreme Court regarding noise pollution.”In 2005, Supreme Court ruled that noise can adversely affect the right to life, and that states must make provisions to confiscate loudspeakers and amplifiers that create noise beyond the permissible limit. Anyone can file a complaint about noise pollution, and authorities can take legal action against violators.On Wednesday, the residents wrote to the GB Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, Noida MLA Pankaj Singh, police commissioner Laxmi Singh and Noida Authority CEO Krishna Karunesh on the matter.RWA general secretary of Sector 51 blocks C to F, Sanjeev Kumar, said, “People celebrating their big days at these venues should be mindful about not creating a menace for the residents. The loud noises affect heart patients and elderly people very badly.”Director and head of the respiratory medicine department, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, and a resident of Sector 50, Dr Ashish Jain, said, “High-decibel DJ music, which is usually played at weddings and banquet halls, can cause palpitations and enhanced anxiety, especially in senior citizens with comorbid conditions. Other times, it can be an irritant to the ear and also lead to sleep disorders.”In recent years, the banquets have come up on the internal sector roads. Unrestricted operations at these venues often lead the calm and quiet neighbourhoods to descend into chaos marked with unauthorised parking and traffic jams.A resident of Sector 51, Sharad Jain, said, “There is an urgent need for collaboration between the Noida Authority and the district police to enforce existing noise regulations and curb violations.”To address these pressing issues, the federation has proposed a series of immediate and long-term measures. They have put forward the demand for sound barriers along the service roads adjacent to banquet halls, specifically targeting the stretch opposite Sector 51 and plots F-26 to F-33 in Sector 50.They have asked the authorities to implement a freeze on issuing new licences for banquet halls within this residential area and conduct a feasibility study to explore relocating existing halls to non-residential zones.“We have reached the limit of our tolerance and earnestly urge authorities to restore the tranquility and sanctity of our community,” a resident of Sector 51, Anil Prakash, said.
