Pune’s wait to get noise monitoring systems continues – Hindustan Times

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Pune: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board’s (MPCB) project to set up three ambient noise pollution monitoring systems in Pune, approved in May, is yet to take off.
MPCB plans to install 36 new real-time ambient noise monitors in urban areas across the state this year, under Phase-II of the Centre’s National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN).
Various study reports have highlighted the increase in noise pollution levels across the city during festivals and non-festival days in four zones — residential, commercial, industrial, and silence.
The 2017 National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) noise level survey covering Pune, carried out with the support of MPCB, highlighted that it has risen above the standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The report underlined the need to prepare an action plan for noise pollution in the city.
CPCB in 2019 came up with a programme to set up 24-hour automatic ambient noise pollution system network across the country. In the first phase, the systems were set up at various locations across Mumbai by MPCB. The second phase included putting up 36 new monitoring sites in the state at sites namely residential, commercial, industrial, and “silence” zones, including three in Pune. Pratap Jagtap, former sub-regional officer, MPCB Pune, said, “While the authorities had decided Shivajinagar as one of the locations for setting up the system, nothing has been finalised yet.”
Nitin Shinde, sub-regional officer, MPCB, Pune said, “Though we are yet to set up the monitoring system, occasional recording of noise levels is carried out as per the requirements.”
“Taking action against noise pollution is the responsibility of the police and not MPCB. So, we forward public complaints to the police,” said a MPCB senior official on condition of anonymity.

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