Editor,
A recent letter to the editor by Joshua Kharkamni (ST Oct 16, 2015) requesting the Hon’ble High Court to ban and seize noisy and buzzing machines which operate from homes has certainly awakened the authorities about this gross commercial activity. My home in the heart of the city is also affected by this menace. This is illegal but the residents are compelled to put up with this unbearable noise becayse the authorities are deaf and blind. Have these owners of timber workshops sought an NOC from any of the surrounding houses before setting up the so-called, ‘Carpentry and Furniture Workshop?’ I know for a fact that not an inch of furniture or carpentry work is undertaken other than scrapping and smoothening the surface of planks and wooden bars using notoriously coarse noisy machines which emit a continuous loud drone. Another set used is a low intensity machine creating a screeching noise. But even after Kharkamni’s letter the operation of machines didn’t stop completely but there were longer intervals. Day to day wood products are loaded after dark as a facade that the authorities have taken cognizance of the situation.
But even as I write this letter its back to business as usual with TATA Pickups and Ultra trucks packed with wooden bars and planks filled to the brim completely covered with tarpaulin sheets operating in the dark. The authorities have never assessed the gravity of the situation by visiting the surrounding homes where such workshops operate within city limits to assess the situation. The noise and buzz from the machine magnifies as it strikes against the walls of the home and the interior spaces. The vibration travels to the nearby residences and make it impossible for the elderly and bed-ridden citizens to lie down on their sides with their ears to the pillow. People complain of noise pollution on two days of Diwali. But what about those of us who have to suffer this continuous noise? How can a noisy timber workshop be located in a residential area? Can the Hon’ble High Court take suo-moto action and seize heavy, noisy machines operating in residential areas? Let machines be replaced by hands of labour to maximize employment opportunities for the needy? How wise and ethical is it to build a home by destroying and ruining others? Or is it a collaborative sponsored effort to psychologically irritate and finally evict a few ill-fated residents? Does no law exist against such law breakers?
Yours etc.,
Esther Kharwanlang
Shillong-4