BMC to map noise levels in city

To curb noise, BMC has decided to map its levels across the city. It will appoint a firm to measure and study noise levels in various areas.

The BMC environment status report last year recorded very high levels of noise in the city.

A senior official said, "Noise levels in 2011-12 were around 63 decibels during the day and around 78 decibels at night, much higher than the permissible limit of 50 and 40 decibels. The civic body is currently in the process of inviting firms to measure noise levels in the city."

The scientific study will be carried out in residential, industrial and congested areas, silence zones, areas around schools, colleges and hospitals and at traffic junctions.

"We have invited firms for a detailed noise analysis which will also include suggestions for noise mitigation," said an official.

"The study will help the civic administration plan and implement stringent rules to prevent noise pollution," he said.

This is, however, not the first time the civic body has made ambitious plans to map noise levels.

Two years ago, a high-level delegation of then municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar, MMRDA commissioner Rahul Asthana, principal secretary in the urban development department T C Benjamin and officials from other state-level agencies visited Italy to study and inspect sound barrier technologies and management of noise pollution.

MMRDA then installed sound barriers at Bandra-Kurla Complex on a pilot basis in 2010 which, officials claimed, reduced noise levels in adjoining buildings.

However, activists said the technology stopped flow of light and air in many places.

Flat-mates kill cook in Antop Hill

A 35-year-old man was allegedly killed by his two flat-mates in Antop Hill Wednesday night after a drunken argument. The accused were arrested Thursday.

Police said Bam Bahadur lived in a flat with four others, including accused Sunil Manbahadur (26) and Raj Acharya (27), in sector 5, Antop Hill.

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