The average level of noise pollution generally exceeds the permissible limits in seven cities of the country, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave said on Monday in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
He said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with its counterparts in every State carries out monitoring of noise pollution in seven metropolitan cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, lucknow and Hyderabad — through a network of 70 noise-monitoring stations under National Ambient Noise Monitoring Programme (NANMP).
"The data from these monitoring stations indicate that average noise pollution levels generally exceed the permissible limits. The data includes noise due to horns of vehicles," Dave said.
Replying to another question, he said while in fiscal 2014-15, 6,161 trees were cut in Delhi, in 2015-16, 4,689 trees were felled. The number of trees cut in 2016-17 was 4,759.
The total number of trees cut in these three financial years was 15,609, he said, adding that Section 10 of Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994 (DPTA), prescribes that every person, who is granted permission under this Act to fell or dispose of any tree, will be bound to plant such number and kind of trees in the area.