What is noise? This was the deceptively simple question facing the Supreme Court recently. The issue was noise pollution, and what urged the court to take it up was the rape of a 13-year-old girl seven years ago, whose shouts for help could not be heard because loudspeakers were blaring loudly in the neighbourhood. Unlike air pollution, where the role of the state is crucial, controlling noise pollution would depend a great deal on everyday politeness and courtesy and, to some extent, on a proper awareness of the harmfulness of excessive noise. But apart from neighbourly consideration, there are other aspects of legislating on noise that are bound to involve the police. There is, first, the problem of measuring decibel levels to check alleged offences, and then of taking action based on the findings. It is somehow impossible to imagine this happening in India, as matters stand now in terms of the ordinary policeman?s work ethic. Besides, the noisiest people in India are often the most powerful. In Calcutta, everything from elections to polio eradication is designed to torment the ears. If these new noise rules are enforced, then the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Trinamool Congress would perhaps be the worst offenders, and at every level of the parties.

Simple rules of safety and well-being are difficult to enforce in India ? seat belts, helmets, smoking in public, to name just a few. It is a peculiar combination of a foolish lack of fear and concern, the deeply entrenched quality of everyday habits of callousness, and low levels of alertness and strictness in those who are supposed to enforce these laws. There are also too many people, breaking too many laws. The noise regulations are a good start, but there is no reason to hope that they will not run up against the same problems.