It is the Environmental Protection Agency which issues authorization for noise-making activities not the Commander of Region Six

Dear Editor, The noise nuisance continues unabated in Region 6, especially in the Upper Corentyne area, and the Commander is busy carrying out the functions of the Environmental Protection Agency, allegedly handing out permission to a few selected persons.

It has been mentioned by a letter writer (Ms Amrita Dhania) to the press that everything is sold, from the cradle to the grave, by these mobile vendors with vehicles using heavy duty 1200 watts amplifiers to blast the residents from their beds and disrupt their activities. Meanwhile these insensitive advertisers go merrily along their way filling their pockets and counting their profits.

Ms Dhanai outlined the EPA Regulations which clearly state that it is the function of the EPA to control and manage sound emissions by setting the permissible level for activities such as entertainment, transportation, construction, commercial and other things. The regulations clearly stipulate that persons who are engaged in the above- mentioned activities need to apply for environmental authorization so that the EPA can monitor their activities.

How is it that the GPF Commander of Region 6 has the authority to grant authorization to a selected few to use this intolerable and deafening equipment? Clearly the Commander appears to have overstepped his legal authority and usurped the role of the EPA. How can the Minister of Public Security tolerate this? This Commander has other important functions to perform.

I was attending a one- year anniversary death function in the Upper Corentyne and at 4 pm while the Pastor was fully engrossed in the midst of his sermon, his Bible was nearly knocked out of his hands and he was stopped in his tracks as one of these mobile nuisance vehicles slowly crawled by. It took a few minutes for him to compose himself and continue, but it was clear to all that he had lost the intensity of deliverance. Can you imagine what these residents, especially the sick, the feeble, the old, the young babies, the busy housewives, the sleeping night workers and the children in schools have to face, given their regular doses of noise pollution? It may not be too long from now when the Upper Corentyne will be transformed into a colony of zombies, since lack of sleep and proper rest can cause mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression. It can also damage one’s judgement and negatively affect one’s work performance and safety.

I am calling on the Commissioner of Police (ag), Mr David Ramnarine, to put an immediate halt to this lawlessness of issuing commercial permits/licences for the commission of daily noise nuisance and pollution. It is not the duty of the Guyana Police Force to make laws but to execute laws. Is the GPF the Parliament of Guyana? The police should read the Environmental Protection Act 1996. Yours faithfully, Muhammad Mustapha