Make Panchsheel Park a silent zone, orders tribunal

An NGT bench directed the traffic police to ensure no overloaded vehicles plied in the area and that no pressure horns were used.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued directives for declaring Panchsheel Park in South Delhi a ‘silent zone’ and restricting the speed limit of vehicles to 30 kmph in the area.

An NGT bench directed the traffic police to ensure no overloaded vehicles plied in the area and that no pressure horns were used. “The traffic police shall take steps to install speed cameras to monitor the speed of vehicles and immediately challan vehicles to the tune of Rs 1,000 as per polluter pays principle,” the bench observed.

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The directions came on a petition by Omesh Saigal, a resident of Panchsheel Park, who alleged that noise pollution, generated by heavy traffic flow on the Outer Ring Road, was affecting the health of people living in the area.

The petition sought directions to the government or civic bodies to erect screens or walls along both sides of the road to block the noise. However, the Delhi government told the NGT that erecting high walls on both sides of the road to block noise would adversely affect aesthetics, block the view of residents and traffic.

The petition had alleged that sound levels in the area were above the norms stipulated under the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee had informed the Tribunal that noise levels in the area were beyond permissible limits of 55 decibels during day time and 45 decibels during night time.

The NGT also directed the residents of Panchsheel Park to insulate their windows to keep noise out. The traffic police, the Tribunal said, would be held responsible for any violation of speed and noise pollution limits. It also directed the state chief secretary and officials of other departments concerned to be present on April 17.

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