Police:Don't violated noise like Kala Ghoda Festival 2010, please!

After getting conditional permission to hold the annual Kala Ghoda festival, the event’s organisers have said they will not use loudspeakers and monitor sound levels to ensure that it remains within permissible limits.

The festival will be held between February 5 and 13. The Kala Ghoda Association (KGA), which has been holding the event for 12 years, said that apart from measuring noise levels, they will move some of the big stage events like music and dance shows to the Town Halls steps. Maneck Davar, secretary of KGA, said, “There will not be any amplification of noise and, therefore, no loudspeakers. We are trying to do things within the law.”

Last month, the Bombay high court granted permission for the festival after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) refused to allow the event saying that Kala Ghoda is designated as a silence zone under noise pollution laws. The area has a synagogue, church, colleges and courts. The KGA had approached the court in appeal against the BMC decision and promised that they will follow conditions laid down by the BMC.

During the 2010 festival, the police had said that the festival violated noise pollution norms. Documents obtained by a resident of Rampart Row (K Dubash Marg) under Right to Information Act shows that on February 8, 2010, Colaba police station had written to KGA saying that their application for permission to use loudspeaker has been rejected because the area is a ‘silence zone’.