Officials stated that the Western Bench of the National Green Tribunal has instructed the State Government and the Director General of Police to strictly enforce the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 in all designated silence zones across Maharashtra, including Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The bench further ordered that they must keep a record of any action taken under this Rule and present it before the bench whenever directed to do so.

The NGT Bench issued the order in response to an application filed by Pune resident Dr. Kalyani Mandke.

The applicant’s counsel submitted to the bench that the Noise Pollution Rules explicitly state that in a silence zone or area, any person who plays music or uses sound amplifiers is liable to be penalised, and that the use of loudspeakers or public address systems also attracts penalties.

Accordingly, the applicant requested the court to direct that these Rules be implemented by the Director General of Police and the State authorities in Maharashtra.

Welcoming the NGT’s decision, Mukund Kirdat of the Loudspeaker-Virodhi Punekars Forum said, “As per the NGT order, strict compliance with the original directive is compulsory—meaning loudspeaker use will not be permitted in silence zones.” He added,

The initial order was issued in 2024. However, due to the lack of implementation of its directions, the applicant, Dr. Kalyani Mandke, once again approached the NGT bench, which on September 10 issued an order for strict enforcement.”