Citizens’ Meet against Plastic and Sound Pollution

Ref: SM/Sound/2018 Dated: 22.09.2018

Citizens’ Meet against Plastic and Sound Pollution

(Lion’s Club Hall, Deshapriyo Park, Sarat Basu Road,)

1^st October, 2018, Monday, 5 PM to 7.30 PM

Dear friends,

Please accept our heartiest festive greetings. You may be aware that Sabuj Mancha, a platform of organizations and individuals concerned for environment of West Bengal, has been playing an active role in highlighting critical environmental issues of the state of West Bengal in public domain. It is also acting as a pressure group. Since long, we are raising the issue of waste management especially plastic waste management in our state. We also have been trying to stop sound pollution which is causing severe harm to human health and environment.

Especially during the Festival Days a huge amount of plastic waste is generated surrounding the puja pandals. These are all one time used plastic products, mostly used for carrying, eating and packaging. Problems associated with so much plastic waste in environment is more or less known to everybody. Still such waste is generated flouting the Rules and all the norms regarding plastic waste management. Most of such waste remain littered on the streets for a long time and then collected by Corporation / municipality sweepers only to send to the dump sites. Authorities and puja organisers may take up the issue, motivate / compel the stall owners surrounding their puja pandals to stop using disposable plastic items like plastic carry bags, poly cups, thermocol plates and similar items and also put adequate number of bins for collection of any other waste generated near their stalls. Waste pickers may be engaged to work in hygienic condition and use those waste for recycling.

During festival days, sound pollution becomes another menace. Noise generated from firecrackers and DJ sound boxes becomes terribly unbearable. Till date several persons lost their lives and several others were brutally manhandled and assaulted by miscreants while they protested illegal firecracker bursting. There was clear order of Kolkata Bench of National Green Tribunal dated 16.10.15 for closure of all unlicensed fire cracker units in the state. Only three such units in West Bengal have valid license of Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO). NGT also made comment that these illegal units are producing ammunition which are being used by antisocial elements and terrorists. Unfortunately, during these three years, there is no report of closure of any illegal unit. On the contrary there is a move by the authority to legalize some of the units in the name of clustering of the units and providing training of the workers. Sabuj Mancha is opposed to any such move as storing of ingredients and fireworks require license from PESO and other competent authorities and the existing units, mostly running in residential areas, without having any infrastructural facility cannot comply with the requirements. We are again demanding to the authorities to implement the NGT order and to ensure stop production, sale and use of any illegal fire cracker. We would also demand that the already existing norms regarding sound pollution, set by the WBPCB should be strictly implemented.

In this context, we request the citizens especially the clubs, the housing societies, puja organizers etc. to take pledge that generation and littering of plastic waste surrounding puja pandals will be stopped, adequate bins will be placed to properly utilize waste, sound limit will be maintained as per norms and illegal firecrackers will not be used. We hope this may motivate other sections of the society who are still engaged in violating the noise pollution norms to rectify their bad practice.

In view of the above, we have organized a Citizens’ Meet on sound pollution at Lion’s Club Hall, Deshapriyo Park, Sarat Basu Road, on 1^st October 2018, Monday, from 5 PM to 7.30 PM.

You are cordially invited to participate in the Meet and support the move to implement noise pollution norms

With Regards

Naba Dutta
Secretary

Program Coordinators: Dr. Biplab Basu ( 9831636817), Manindra Mukherjee (9635912049)