Earlier the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC) had notified several silence zones in the city.
Anti-noise pollution activists in Mumbai are upset with the new noise pollution rules that govern the usage of loud speakers in Mumbai. Sumaira Abdulali from Awaaz Foundation, who has been campaigning for years on the issue says the new rules take them back by 17 years and she will challenge the notification in court.
Under existing the laws there are several silence zones of Mumbai. But now, according to the new noise pollution laws, there will be no silence zones.
"We haven't fought alone. We have fought with help of so many people in Mumbai which is also spread to the other cities of the country and now the silent zone rule itself has been taken away so we go back to the time now when things use to be so noisy and people were so disturbed," Ms Abdulali told NDTV.
According to the government's affidavit in court the Environment Ministry at the Centre issued a notification earlier this month by which the Noise Pollution Rules of 2000 have been amended. According to the new rules, no area can be considered as a silence zone until the state government specifically declares it to be one.
Earlier the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had notified several silence zones and in 2016 the High Court had declared 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions and courts as such zones.
"Whatever is happening is as per the law and nothing illegal is being done," Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar told NDTV.
Activists like Ms Abdulali say they are not going to accept the notification and are going to ask the court to strike down the new notification so that silence zones in the city are protected with the hope that citizens will stand by them in this fight to keep Mumbai noise-pollution free.