Indiranagar pub caught indulging in noise pollution

Last fortnight, the authorities found 657 Wall Street Bar & Kitchen on 100 Ft. Road violating the noise norms.

Based on the Karnataka High Court order, when a team visited the 657 Wall Street Bar & Kitchen on 100 Ft Road, Indiranagar, they found the noise levels to be much higher than the permissible limits.

The police team made a surprise visit to the pub on December 21 at around 11.15pm and measured the noise levels for five minutes to find that it was 76.4 LAeq decibels. The pub manager was asked if they had taken requisite permission to play at such high volumes, he could not give any. A case is lodged against the owner and manager of the pub for running their business at high volume without any permission under Karnataka Police Act, 1963 under section 103 and 31 for preservation of traffic and order in public places, and under the Indian Penal Code under section 290 for public nuisance.

That is not all. The residents say that Nevermind Bar & Social on 12th Main Road is also violating the noise norms. Says K Suresh: “For a few days, Nevermind hotel has started again playing loud music till 11.45pm.” In most cases, the authorities inform us that a permission is never given to play loud music anywhere, not in a temple/mosque/church, and not in a restaurant or pub, and when there is such a permission it is a music licence where the decibels cannot cross 45 decibels near the boundary of the establishment. “Loft is the only pub in Indiranagar with music licence,” says Sneha Nandihal of I Change Indiranagar, a federation of resident welfare associations in the area.

Therefore, anyone with a sound meter app on their smartphone can measure the sound levels at any establishment, and submit it as proof to the authorities when they complain.