The Gujarat High Court recently issued notice to the State government and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking to curb noise pollution especially the one caused by "truck DJs" which are commonly used in marriages and religious processions.

A division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh J Shastri sought the response of the State and authorities including the Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad and also the city's civic body chief.

"Let this matter be tagged along with the other petitions which raise the issue pertaining to noise pollution due to loudspeakers used in religious places," CJ Kumar said while adjourning the case.

The bench was hearing PIL filed by one Kaivan Dastoor, an advocate, who sought implementation of a notification issued by the GPCB in December 2019, making installation of 'limiters' in sound systems mandatory.

Advocate Maulin Yagnik for the petitioner highlighted the fact that these 'truck DJs' are usually used in marriage processions (baarat) and even during religious processions and causes noise pollution by flouting the permissible decibel levels.

During the hearing, Yagnik further pointed out that he had received an RTI response which disclosed that from January 2021, the Ahmedabad city police received over 10,277 complaints of noise pollution of which only two vehicles were seized by the police.

The PIL alleged that the notification by the GPCB was being flouted brazenly by the citizens by using these 'truck DJs' and yet the authorities were not taking any action.

The bench said it would hear the matter in due course.