Over 40 pc of Mumbai declared as silence zones

Citizens of the normally noisy, often raucous, Mumbai will finally have some peace and quiet, with the BMC declaring 1113 locations as 'silence zones' across the city

Citizens of the normally noisy, often raucous, Mumbai will finally have some peace and quiet, with the BMC declaring 1113 locations as 'silence zones' across the city, reported Mumbai Mirror.

211 zones are in South Mumbai itself (Wards A to E). Of the total 437.71 sq. km area of Mumbai, more than 40 per cent will now come under the quiet area.

Silence zones entail:
u00a0o honking, no bursting of fire crackers, no loudspeakers, no marriage or other processions and no loud music within the 100-metre radius of the identified locations. These locations can be educational institutions, hospitals, courts or religious places.

Alert citizens are slowly coming forward with suggestions for demarcating silence zones in their areas to ensure a more peaceful life for themselves. Last week the BMC received two fresh applications.

"We welcome the suggestion of citizens. An educational institution in Kandivli recently asked us to name it a silence zone, we will surely look into it," said D S Bhujbal, deputy municipal commissioner (environment).

"We will take the help of the local police to enforce the law," added Bhujbal.

The maximum number of silence zones are in wards like A, D, G/S, K/W, P/N, R/C, L, M/E and S. Here, the silence zones cover more than half the total area. For instance, in the A-ward, there are about 67 silence zones, which cover 7 sq kms out of its total area of 12.5 sq kms.

A six-year battle
It's been a long battle against noise. In 2003, the Bombay High Court ordered a ban on the usage of loudspeakers in silence zones.

This law was the result of a bunch of petitions filed by citizens. There was a catch, though. As Sumaira Abdulali, convenor of Awaaz Foundation, puts it, "At that time, silence zones were not identified.

So the onus was on the police to implement the law."u00a0

In 2005, Abdulali filed a second petition and the deadline of 10 pm was set for the use of loudspeakers all over the state.

Finally, on 26 February, 2009, the High Court passed the ruling regarding earmarked silence zones. This has been promptly implemented by the BMC.

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