MESSAGE BOARD
NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

High court stops parties with loud music in Goa

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

It's time to bid goodbye to the Goa of outdoor parties with loud music. For the high court has banned playing of amplified music from 10 pm to 7 am.

Though the rules may be relaxed for the Christmas season when most tourists come to Goa to dance the night away, the forthcoming Carnival festival in March may be a dull affair without the dances at night.

The interim order passed by the local bench of Bombay high court while admitting a public interest petition filed by the Goa Environment Federation, will remain in force till further orders.

The court has also withdrawn the powers of the district magistrate and the sub-divisional magistrate to grant licences to play amplified music in open places. In an exceptional case, the state home secretary (who is the chief secretary here) has been authorised to grant such licences.

The petitioner had pointed out how the authorities, in violation of the Madhya Pradesh Control of Music and Noise Act (made applicable in Goa since 1997), had issued licences to help vested interests like tourist lobbies and politicians.

In fact, the coalition government led by Francisco Sardinha recently passed a decision permitting night dances till 6 am from Christmas to the New Year to aid tourism.

The petitioner singled out for attack the series of beach and acid parties held along the coastal belt at places like Calangute, Baga, Anjuna, Vagator etc. The loud amplified music played here throughout the night affects three to four villages, disturbing the sleep of the locals. Some elders have allegedly become victims of insomnia.

The issue was also raised in the court recently when a local journalist from the coastal belt succeeded in stopping a 10-day long non-stop rave party organised by Jeh Wadia, son of business tycoon Nusli Wadia, at the Anjuna beach. Despite that, the authorities had permitted a non-stop Bacardi Blast dance, sponsored by Channel V and Bacardi, at the same location.

Goa is the only place in the world where such open air parties were permitted. The petitioner in the case has held the collector, the police and the pollution control board responsible for the violations.

Goa's traditional wedding dances or regular dances held on festive occasions in most Goan villages will also be affected by high court's interim order.

But pollution has become rampant in Goa nowadays, with even Hindu or Christian prayers being performed at government offices along with music. Roads too are blocked for such ceremonies. This interim order could put an end to all that.

Tell us what you think of this report