India’s National Green Tribunal has ordered Bhopal authorities to immediately shut down or regulate high-volume traffic announcement systems blaring at intersections across the city, ruling that the noise violates citizens’ constitutional right to a dignified life.
The order, issued May 21 by the National Green Tribunal’s Central Zone Bench in Bhopal, came in response to a petition filed by environmental activist Rashid Noor Khan against the Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Limited, the Traffic Police Department, and other government bodies.
Harshwardhan Tiwari, the advocate who argued the case, told the tribunal that the systems broadcast recorded traffic instructions continuously throughout the day at volumes he described as “unbearable.” He argued that no individual or institution has the right to force sound into others’ ears against their will.
“No body can be compelled to listen and no body can claim that he has a right to make his voice trespass in to the ears or mind of others,” Tiwari argued before the bench.
Systems Near Hospitals, Courts and Schools
The petition alleged that the PA systems operate inside silence zones — within 100 metres of courts, hospitals, schools, and residential areas — in clear violation of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The bench, composed of Judicial Member Justice Sheo Kumar Singh and Expert Member Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi, found that the systems cause “immense hardship, annoyance, irritation, stress, communication interference, sleep disturbance and adverse psychological effects” on residents, patients, students, lawyers, and litigants near the affected intersections.
In its order, the tribunal detailed the medical consequences of chronic noise exposure, citing risks including temporary and permanent hearing loss, increased blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stomach ulcers, and disrupted sleep. It noted that children face particular harm, with noise interfering with speech development, language acquisition, and reading ability.
The tribunal also noted risks to unborn children, stating that fetuses are capable of perceiving sounds and that noise has been linked to low birth weight.
The bench cited the Supreme Court’s landmark 2005 ruling in In Re: Noise Pollution — Implementation of the Laws for Restricting Use of Loudspeakers and High Volume Producing Sound Systems, which held that no person has a fundamental right to create noise, and that every citizen holds the right to a peaceful, pollution-free life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
What Authorities Must Do
The tribunal directed the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board to conduct a comprehensive noise survey across all affected intersections in Bhopal. The survey must include ambient noise monitoring, decibel assessments, acoustic surveys, and noise mapping.
The board must also develop a standard operating procedure for traffic PA systems, covering permissible operating hours, maximum decibel limits, prohibition of artificial sirens, real-time monitoring, and a public grievance system.
The Collector and Superintendent of Police received separate orders to exercise their powers and take immediate action to control noise levels.
Tiwari also cited a March 2026 ruling by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Vannakota Vara Prasad vs. Union of India, in which the court banned loudspeakers at traffic intersections across that state.
“We do not approve of the use of the mike system by traffic policemen at these intersections, inasmuch as those people who live in and around the close vicinity or are conducting their business operations may feel miserable on account of the continuous cacophony of the sound emitted from these loudspeakers throughout the day,” the Andhra Pradesh court said in its order.
The NGT directed all respondents to file replies within six weeks through its e-filing portal. The matter is next listed for hearing on August 17, 2026.
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