The Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) will be all ears on Thursday, October 23, with portable readers at seven points of anticipated transgression of noise norms in the state capital.

Speaking to The Telegraph over phone on Tuesday, JSPCB chairman A.K. Mishra said they had completed their homework in the run-up to the festival of lights. “Spots (susceptible to noise pollution) have been identified and officials assigned duties. We will monitor both decibel and air pollution caused by oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, besides RSPM, released by firecrackers,” he said.

Asked about the seven reading zones, Mishra named Ratu Road (near Raj Bhavan), Lalpur, Albert Ekka Chowk, Kutchery, Kantatoli, Doranda and Bariatu (near RIMS). “We may alter a few locations depending upon the need to do so. On Diwali day, hourly readings will be taken from 6pm to midnight.”

The JSPCB boss further added that besides using portable meters, inputs would be taken from the centralised real-time ambient air quality monitoring stations in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Bokaro to assess and analyse violations.

“We have a real-time pollution check system at the forest office in Doranda (Ranchi). Similarly, in Jamshedpur and Bokaro, the stations are active at Tata Steel gates and Bokaro Steel Limited, respectively. Our board analyst, R.N. Kashyap, will be responsible for tracking hourly changes in ambient air quality, which will then be vetted by using portable readers before readying a final report to be sent to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in New Delhi,” Mishra said.

According to CPCB guidelines, the permissible noise limit in residential areas during daytime is 65dB while the same is 45dB at night. In commercial pockets, the day limit is 65dB and the night cap is 55dB.

In silence zones (near hospitals and schools), the permissible indicators are 50dB during day and 45dB at night.

Ranchi, for one, has always made a mockery of these rules.

For instance, during Diwali 2013, Lalpur — a mix of residential and commercial pockets — clocked 96.6dB between 8pm and 10pm. Albert Ekka Chowk, Sujata Chowk and Ratu Road notched 96.3dB, 93.3dB and 91.4dB, respectively, during those two hours.

Mishra, however, is sanguine of change this year, courtesy independent campaigns by various organisations and schools against noise pollution, besides public advertisements released statewide on Tuesday.

“For the past two days, we have been issuing circulars, along with Diwali dos and don’ts, in every media, which I hope will make the difference. Apart from this, we have directed all district administrations to impose ban on noisy crackers from 10pm on October 23 to 6am the next day,” he said.

Will you celebrate a noise-free Diwali? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com