Girl, 5, moves NGT against noise pollution from Delhi metro

A five-year-old petitioner approached the NGT on Tuesday complaining of noise pollution from Delhi Metro's operations.

The petition of Samriddhi Goswami, concerning the situation in north Delhi's Rohini area, prompted the green court to direct the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to strictly adhere to the environment norms by complying with the prescribed limits.

Disposing of the matter, the bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to ensure no noise pollution is caused in its activities, including construction and operation.

Samriddhi had earlier made several failed attempts of complaining against the noise pollution caused by Metro operations.

In her petition, she sought shifting of Rohini Sector 18-19 metro station to a suitable alternate site as the noise levels were found to be above 85 decibels.

The girl, in her plea filed through advocates Salik Shafique and Rahul Khurana, has also sought installation of a sound barrier around the metro station.

She also sought compensation for causing trauma due to noise pollution during the construction and trial phase of the station.

The petition referred to the 2011 Environment Impact Assessment Report of metro stations which states that the noise pollution may not pose health risk but can lead to sleep disorders, stress, high blood pressure and anxiety.

--IANS

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