by THO
MUMBAI: Residents of Worli, Breach Candy, and Napean Sea Road, many of whom live right next to the Coastal Road, are growing increasingly frustrated with the noise pollution caused by cars and bikes on it. They claim that motorists and bikers have turned the road into a racing track, and in the absence of CCTV cameras and police action, the menace is continuing unhindered.
Viren Shah, who lives in Madhuli Apartments, said that residents had been subjected to harrowing levels of noise for the past few weeks. “The noise pollution is particularly bad between 10 PM and 12 am, as a fleet of vehicles equipped with loud, modified exhaust systems regularly passes through the area. The noise from these modified mufflers is so intense that it disrupts the peace and quiet of residential neighbourhoods situated along this busy stretch,” he stated in his letter to the traffic police.
According to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, ambient noise levels in residential areas should not exceed 55 dB during the day and 45 dB at night. “However, the sound from these vehicles clearly exceeds these permissible limits, causing undue stress and disturbance to the community,” said Shah.
The Worli resident added that the Noise Pollution rules also specified that silence zones, such as areas near hospitals and educational institutions, needed to maintain sound levels of no more than 50 dB during the day and 40 dB at night. “One of the buildings that is badly affected by the noise is Breach Candy Hospital, which is directly on the route,” he pointed out. “The loud noise from racing vehicles impacts hospital patients and healthcare workers, who require a peaceful environment.
Shyam Lulla, president of the Breach Candy Residents’ Forum, said that racing on the coastal road was happening brazenly despite residents’ repeated complaints. “On Sundays especially, the road is used as a race track since the speed-limit cameras have not been activated,” he said. “On the Bandra-Worli sea link, if you go above the permissible speed limit of 80 kmph, you get fined ₹1,500. But there is no deterrent on the coastal road, and motorists are taking advantage of this. The police aren’t interested in taking action.”
The car racing happens early in the morning at 7 am and at 1 am on Sundays. “On Sunday morning and almost every night after 10 pm, there are Lamborghinis and other luxury cars zooming in and out of the coastal road,” said Nandini Chabria, another member of the Breach Candy Residents’ Forum. “There’s a disaster waiting to happen on account of the speed, and for residents around, there is the horrible noise to deal with.” Lulla said the Forum had approached the assistant traffic police in Worli and informed them that the racing menace could even turn life-threatening.
Chabria said that they had verbally informed the BMC’s coastal road team. “They claimed that there were speed-monitoring cameras on the road,” she said. “They also said that mobile vans were located there at different times of the day. But how will these vans monitor the entire stretch? The cameras should have been operational even before the road started when the speed limits were announced. Even the inside of the tunnel is a racing track, with cars zooming at 100 kmph.”
The residents are now calling on the local authorities to take immediate action to curb the noise pollution and enforce the law. They have urged the police, BMC and traffic authorities to crack down on these vehicles, especially those with modified mufflers, which are contributing to the disruption of the area’s peace.
