Bilaspur: The Chhattisgarh High Court, while hearing public interest litigations (PILs) regarding noise pollution, has directed the state government’s committee, formed under the Noise Pollution Control Act, to investigate and decide on all related cases. The court has scheduled the next hearing for the second week of February. Earlier, the Raipur Citizens’ Struggle Committee, along with other individuals, had filed a PIL raising concerns about loud music played by DJs during festivals and wedding ceremonies. The court had also taken note of an incident where a child reportedly lost their life due to excessive noise pollution. Since then, hearings on this issue have been ongoing.
Rules Not Being Followed During the previous hearing, Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha’s division bench observed that noise pollution regulations and orders were not being properly enforced. The court questioned the administration, asking, *”What can the common man do? It seems like law and order has completely collapsed.” The court further stated that despite the existing ban on DJs, the rules were not being followed, and loud music was still being played in many places. Instructions to All Collectors The High Court had previously instructed all district collectors to ensure compliance with noise pollution regulations. It warned that failure to enforce these rules would imply that the district collectors themselves were unwilling to implement the orders. Copies of the court’s directive were sent to all district collectors for immediate action.
Amit Mal, a resident near Singapore City in Raipur, had also filed an intervention petition, highlighting noise pollution caused during a Dandiya event at Marina Club. Despite complaints, the police reportedly took no action. Several other similar intervention petitions have also been submitted to the court. High Court Quashes Panchayat Department’s Order In a significant ruling, the High Court overturned an order issued by the Panchayat Department against one of its employees, citing a violation of natural justice principles. Justice Rakesh Mohan Pandey’s single bench quashed the order issued by the Zila Panchayat CEO. The court directed the Panchayat Department to give petitioner Abhishek Sinha a fair hearing and conduct a fresh investigation into the allegations against him. Abhishek Sinha, an Assistant Grade-3 (contractual) employee in Khadgawa, Koriya district, had been terminated from his position over financial irregularities under the MGNREGA scheme.
