Won't permit music past 10pm at Sunburn, state govt tells HC

PANAJI: In its action plan on the electronic dance music festival (EDM) Sunburn before the high court of Bombay at Goa, the state government said that sub-committees comprising police sub-inspectorss, circle inspectors, and officials of the Goa state pollution control board will continuously monitor decibel levels using sound monitoring devices beginning six hours prior to the festival commencing at Vagator later this month.

Advocate general Devidas Pangam told the high court that the Sunburn festival will not be permitted beyond 10pm on December 28, 29, and 30. The high court accepted the state government's action plan to ensure that noise rules are not flouted.

North Goa collector Sneha Gitte said that in case of any violation, organisers will be given ten minutes to bring sound levels under control, failing which the equipment will be seized.

The government also said that sub-committees will draw six-hourly weighted noise reports every one hour in a prescribed format, signed by all officials present, and submit this to the central noise monitoring committee to verify if there is any violation of noise rules. The sub-committees will be positioned at three different venues on all the three days. Prior to the start of the event, the central sound monitoring committee will ensure the event organiser has installed an online noise monitoring station with a display board, the government said.

The collector stated that sound permission is being issued with conditions as preventive measures, which include that the angle of the line array of loudspeakers be maintained in such a manner so as to reduce the spillage of sound, installation of acoustic barriers/tin sheets/sound absorbing materials wherever required to keep sound levels within prescribed limits, and orientation of the stage in such a manner so as to reduce the spillage of sound beyond the venue boundary.

The central sound monitoring committee, comprising officers of rank equivalent to PI, mamlatdar, and GSPCB engineer, will coordinate with the sub-committees and will be positioned near the entry of the venue throughout the event. Once this committee receives any communication of violation from the sub-committee, it will intimate it to the noise pollution enforcement committee. “The police department will depute a team along with the noise pollution enforcement team to execute the directions of the enforcement committee,” the collector further stated. On Wednesday, Sunburn organisers submitted an affidavit to the court listing out additional measures it proposes to take to ensure sound limits are not breached.