BENGALURU: Random checks conducted jointly by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the city police, at many pubs and bars in the city have revealed that noise pollution continues to be one of the issues even after they were banned from playing music.
“Even without any music, we have found that the decibel levels were higher at these places than the permissible limits as per the National Noise Pollution Control Policy. This is because of so many factors, including noise from vehicular movement outside the premises,” said an environment officer at the KSPCB.
As per the national policy on noise pollution, residential areas are permitted to have 45dB (decibels) at night and 55dB during the day. In commercial areas, the limit is 55dB for night and 65dB for day. “We found out that even without music, the sound levels in many pubs and bars, especially in Bengaluru East, were anywhere between 65 dB and 70dB. Vehicular traffic was found to be one of the biggest reasons. Human chatter inside the pubs and bars also adds to the noise. Together, they increase the decibel levels beyond what is permitted,” the officer added.
He said that irregular zoning of commercial and residential areas by the civic authorities was a huge reason behind the rising public anger against noisy pubs, bars and restaurants. “There are residences near these commercial places. The decibel levels are bound to be high,” he added. One of the pub owners in Indiranagar told TNIE that the permitted decibel levels can be achieved only in soft conversation, and in low tones at closed public spaces.
Around 107 pubs and bars in Bengaluru were banned from playing music in August this year after the police found that they had not obtained the mandatory Licensing and Controlling of Places of Public Entertainment (Bangalore City) Order, 2005, popularly known as the Public Entertainment Licence (PEL).
The trigger for the ban was the protest from the resident welfare associations in Indiranagar and Koramangala, against rising noise pollution from these pubs.