The National Green Tribunal's eastern bench has paved the way for the 90-decibel cracker noise norm to be retained in Bengal by allowing the state pollution control board on Thursday to issue a notification "in accordance with its expert committee report".
In September, the expert committee, headed by physician Dulal Bose, had recommended the continuation of the 90-decibel norm for crackers (measured five metres from the source) and said the 125-decibel limit (measured four metres from the source) followed in other states should not be introduced in Bengal considering environmental and public health issues.
The bench passed the order while disposing of a petition by the state pollution control board. "The state pollution control board is at liberty to issue a notification in accordance with its expert committee report. The review petition stands disposed of," the bench of Justice P.K. Ray and P.C. Gupta said.
The 90-decibel limit was on the verge of being replaced with the 125-decibel norm when the tribunal had on May 19, 2015, directed the board to cancel its order on the norm and issue a fresh notification. Cancellation of the 90-decibel limit amounts to adoption of the 125-decibel one.
The board had moved the Supreme Court against the verdict. The apex court asked the board to go back to the bench with an appeal to reconsider its plea on the basis of the expert committee's report.
"Today the bench accepted our review petition... it observed that the board can issue a fresh notification based on the expert committee's report," said lawyer Kabir Bose, who pleaded for the state board.
"Our committee said the noise limit should not be relaxed beyond 90 decibel on the basis of data available about the impact of higher intensity noise on environment and public health, especially in the context of demographic and other prevailing factors," Dulal Bose, a former sheriff of Calcutta, said.
Lawyer Babla Roy, who represented cracker manufacturers, said the bench had asked the board to issue a notification according to the May 19 order. "The bench has asked the board to invoke the 125-decibel norm first and then see if there is any merit in the expert committee's stand that the level should be capped at 90 decibel."
Two held for rapeTabrez Hossain, 53, a guard at Siddique Mansion near the Park Circus seven-point crossing, and cabbie Anjarul Haque, 48, were arrested on Thursday on the charge of raping a 23-year-old widow on Tuesday. She had come to the city from Jibantala, South 24-Parganas, looking for work.
