According to the Silchar Pollution Control Board, the noise pollution level in the town during this year’s Durga Puja was recorded to be the lowest in recent times. While talking to The Sentinel, Jayanta Kumar Das, Assistant Executive Engineer of the Pollution Control Board, Silchar, said that this time during four days of Durga Puja, the noise pollution level in the town extensively came down and it was recorded to be the lowest in the last few years. He was of the opinion that “it has been reduced by more than 50 per cent as compared to last year’s puja”. Expressing his gratitude to public for celebrating the occasion by maintaining the guidelines, he pointed out that most of the puja committees, who were asked prior to Durga Puja to keep a check on the decibel levels, did not use loudspeakers above permissible level. On being asked about complaints from certain sections that some puja committees did violate the norms of noise pollution, Das said that as per the Environment Protection Act of 1986, the role of his department was limited to monitoring only. He said it is the responsibility of the district administration to bring the culprits to book in case of any violation of the laws and take action against them. Jayanta Kumar Das identified the areas like Central Road, Janiganj, Premtala and Tarapur as highly prone to noise and air pollution due to several reasons including unprecedented vehicular traffic. When asked about the silent zones in the town, he rued that it is difficult to divide Silchar, considered to be the most unplanned town, into silent zones or residential zones. Citing the geographical location of the Silchar Civil Hospital, he said that as the Hospital is located in the heart of the town, the area could never be declared as silent zone. He said that apart from the festive season, Silchar Pollution Control Board has been keeping a strong vigil on the level of pollution in the town. The two air monitoring stations of the Board located at Janiganj and PWD Road monitor the pollution levels round the clock in the town throughout the year. He pointed out that the Board is well equipped with instruments like the Sound Level Meter meant for checking the level of noise pollution and the High Volume Sampler for keeping a tab on the air pollution level. Laying stress on the need to upgrade the sanitation system of the slum–dwellers of the Kalibari Sar areas to tackle the pollution of river Barak, the lifeline of this valley, he said downstream Paper Mill effluents also contributed to the water pollution level. According to him, the non–scientific way of disposing wastes including carcasses of dead animals poses a serious threat to the Barak river.