Printing press sealed for flouting noise pollution norms

LUCKNOW: In a joint operation, the district administration and the pollution control board (PCB) on Thursday sealed a printing press in the Cantonment area, found flouting noise pollution norms.

This was said to be the first major action against an establishment for contributing to noise pollution in Lucknow.

Kaushal Raj Sharma, district magistrate, said the Sita Offset Printing Press was sealed after the team found the noise pollution level much higher than the prescribed limit.

“It is located in a residential area, where the prescribed limit of noise level is around 55 decibels (dB). But, the noise emanating from the heavy duty printing machines was recorded around 78 dB, which was a clear violation of noise pollution norms,” said the district magistrate.

Owners and other locals strongly opposed the action against the printing press, but the teams finally initiated the action to seal it by late evening on Wednesday.

City magistrate Vivek Kumar

said there were frequent complaints by locals against the printing press.

“The press is located in Purana Qila in cantonment area where the complaints were frequent,” he said.

He said the pollution control board (PCB), while responding to the complaints of locals, also served notice to the printing press owner, directing him to make necessary arrangements to minimise noise pollution level.

However, no changes had so far been made to bring down the noise pollution level.

PCB officials said it was also found that the press was releasing toxic waste like ink and other things directly into drains, which was another violation of norms.

Action against the printing press was said to be the biggest step initiated so far to curb pollution level, after the state government asked DMs and SSPs across the state to remove illegal loudspeakers from their respective districts in order to curb noise pollution.

Besides sealing the printing press, the district administration also sought a list defaulters from the PCB whom they had served notices till date.

The teams swung into action, two days after PCB officials in a survey found that that there wasn’t much relief in noise pollution level of the city.

The district magistrate had constituted 10 teams of administrative officials to keep a check on noise pollution level.