Sound pollution up by 54 pc in silence zone

Ranchi, Oct 25: Sound pollution in Ranchi’s silence zone rose 54.22 per cent above the permissible limit on Diwali, an official said on Tuesday.
However, if compared to the pre-Diwali level on October 18, a week ahead of the festival, there was a 6.34 per cent increase in noise on Monday, the official stated.
The Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) had given a two-hour window – 8 pm to 10 pm – for bursting firecrackers on Diwali.
The board monitored sound pollution levels in four locations of the city – Jharkhand High Court (silence area), Albert Ekka Chowk (commercial area), Kutchery Chowk (commercial area) and Ashok Nagar (residential area) – for six hours from 6 pm on Monday.
At Albert Ekka Chowk and Kutchery Chowk, the sound pollution levels were 2.33% and 1.96% higher than pre-Diwali figures respectively. Similarly, Ashok Nagar recorded a 3.06% rise above the pre-Diwali figures. (PTI)