The petitioners who have moved court against the illegalities in the operation of pubs in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar area have protested against the noise-level inspection drive held between June 21 and 23, alleging that the pubs had prior information about the police visits.
The petitioners, which comprise of residents and welfare groups of Indiranagar, pointed out that few pubs had posted an announcement on their social media pages about the cancellation of music programmes on these days and further claimed that pub owners were alerted via WhatsApp messages. The petitioners filed objections before a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice HT Narendra Prasad of the Karnataka High Court.
In the early hours of June 22, Bengaluru police commissioner Alok Kumar led a team of KSPCB officials to several spots in Indiranagar, Church Street and Koramangala, where the pubs are located.
KSPCB officials measured sound levels using sound measuring equipment, while another team led by the DCP also checked noise levels in Indiranagar. Notices were later issued to pubs, bars and other establishments on rooftops, to check whether they have violated norms, reported The New Indian Express.
However, the police in its status report to the High Court admitted that the sound meters used during the inspection were ‘found to be unfit for calibration and certification’. Following the report, Alok Kumar ordered procurement of 52 sound meters to be kept in various police stations. The newly procured sound meters were calibrated and certified by an accredited laboratory on June 24, reported The Hindu.
The development comes days after the High Court pulled up the police for its 'casual approach' over the inspection of pubs in Indiranagar.
Read: HC raps Bengaluru police for 'casual approach' to noise inspection at Indiranagar pubs