In a significant move to enforce environmental compliance, marriage halls, lawns, and clubhouses in Pune will now be unable to secure annual approval renewals from the municipal corporation without first obtaining a crucial no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). This new mandate applies to both existing venues seeking renewal and new establishments applying for permissions.
Strict Enforcement on 272 Violating Venues
The MPCB has taken a firm stance against venues flouting rules. Since May this year, officials conducted inspections across various marriage halls, lawns, and clubhouses in the city to verify their systems. Following these checks, the board recently issued notices to a staggering 272 venues for violating established environmental and noise pollution norms.
"We are coordinating with other authorities and have issued notices to around 272 marriage halls," stated MPCB sub-regional officer Kartikeya Langote on Thursday. He further confirmed that the board has formally requested the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to withhold all approval renewals unless the venue presents a valid NOC from the MPCB.
Multi-Agency Push for Compliance
To ensure effective implementation, the MPCB spearheaded a joint meeting last week. The meeting included officials from the police, PMC's building permissions and health departments, the fire department, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agenda focused on discussing guideline implementation, checking the compliance status of venues, and strategizing for stronger enforcement.
The MPCB has already provided the PMC with a list of non-compliant venues and urged the civic body not to renew their operational approvals. Suryakant Deokar, assistant medical officer of PMC, emphasized the need for this crackdown: "The guidelines have been in place from earlier. Yet, many operators do not comply or renew permissions. These measures will make the marriage hall operators fall in line."
What the MPCB Guidelines Mandate
The environmental guidelines set clear standards for venue operators to follow. Key requirements include:
- Sewage Treatment: Venues generating more than 10 cubic metres of domestic effluent per day must install an adequately sized sewage treatment plant (STP).
- Water Recycling: Operators are required to recycle 60% of their water waste for non-potable uses like flushing and cooling systems.
- Noise Control: To curb noise pollution, halls must obtain specific permissions for using loudspeakers. The rules mandate providing acoustic enclosure barriers in closed spaces and planting dense vegetation in open areas to act as natural sound buffers.
This coordinated action marks a decisive step by Pune's regulatory bodies to hold commercial venues accountable for their environmental impact, particularly in the bustling wedding and events sector.
