BANGALORE: The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) was tasked with the job of finding solutions to the city's soaring decibel levels. In response to a high court directive, the board asked three departments — police, BBMP and transport — to deal with the issue. However, KSPCB's approach shows it has at best consulted rulebooks formulated decades ago, falling back on dated ways to a deal with a present-day concern.

According to KSPCB directions, the police department just needs to stick to its job — regulate traffic to avoid jams and thus reduce sound and air pollution, take action against drivers honking unnecessarily, regulate use of loudspeakers, and so on.

Similarly, BBMP has been directed to declare traffic junctions as no-honking zones and display signage, among other things. The transport department has been told to ensure vehicles are fitted only with authorized horn and silencers.

Ironically, the solutions have been floated after three meetings of an inter-departmental committee comprising members from the three departments and the pollution control board. But what new came out of all the brainstorming? Nothing, really. The departments though say they have various plans in the pipeline to beat sound pollution.

However, even before addressing the issue, the departments are ensuring they underline the efforts they've made to this end. While BBMP is browbeating about multi-level parking facilities at Freedom Park and Russell Market, a 250-km road network in the city, newer grade separators, skywalks et al, the police department points to its newly built traffic management centre and its awareness drives. The transport department, on its part, said it has booked 56,303 cases for defective silencers, shrill horn and black smoke emission during 2012-14.

THE BACKGROUND

The Malleswaram Resident Welfare Association had filed a writ petition (WP No. 45881/2012) in the high court on sound pollution in Malleswaram. The court considered the noise problem of Bangalore on a suo motu basis. Subsequently, the KSPCB issued directions to three departments under Section 31(A) of the Air Act on March 3.