To Goanet -
Finally after 8 days, my letter appeared in the Herald today (Feb 15, 2011). The unedited version is reproduced blow. My thanks to Shri Tombat for the courtesy. Addendum: The issue of noise pollution was raised in the recently concluded Assembly session by Manohar Parrikar. When I met Shri Parrikar a few days ago, he said that the response he got from the govt was that the cruise operators DO NOT have any permission to play amplified music. That the question of measuring sound levels does arise since amplified music is banned in the first place. So there. We have the cruise fellows operating within no regard for the law. And the police do nothing about it. r ***** For 4 years I have been fighting the menace of noise pollution on River Mandovi by the cruise boat operators. I have filed many complaints with the Pollution Board and made a dozen trips to the Collector's office over the years. But the problem continues to worsen by the year. Today I went through the rigmarole again. The Addl Collector sent me to the PI who in turn directed me to the DySP who routed me to the Pollution Board from where I rebounded to the DySP. It was like chasing my own tail. Every authority here knows that the cruise operators are in violation of the sound code but nobody has any desire to put an end to it. Why is amplified music allowed on the boats at all? Any civilized person wanting to enjoy a ride on the water would want to take in sights in a tranquil setting without having his ear drums pierced. It says a lot about the uncouth Indian tourists that Goa now attracts who require that noise accompany their public boorishness. And it says a lot about the Goan operators who pander to the base desires of the Indian visitors. There is a complete breakdown in Panjim. My PIL in 2007 had resulted in a High Court order that required the CCP to enforce civic discipline. But the migrants have turned our once-lovely city into a toilet and loitering hole. Rajan Parrikar Miramar, Panjim *****
