The cacophony of hammering, stone-cutting, drilling, loading and unloading and heavy vehicle movement has become a routine during night hours for residents of Sneh Nagar and Gawande Layout for 15 days now. Ongoing construction work of a high-rise building in the middle of a residential area in Sneh Nagar is making the residents vulnerable to agony caused due to noise pollution. Be it at 12 in the midnight or the early hours of morning, construction activities go on in full swing despite strong objection from the residents. Noise pollution due to construction activity has become a daily event in the locality which is giving sleepless nights to many as no steps have been taken to adhere to environmental laws.

 

The recent heavy rains in city filled water in all pits in the construction site. Meanwhile, the construction workers, with the help of submersible pumps, sucked-out the water from the pits and released it on road which caused water-logging in the locality. The muddy water caused life threat for many two-wheeler riders who dared to cross the water-logged roads. Two-three commuters also fell down as the road turned slippery due to muddy water. The muddy water also entered into some residents which caused discomfort for residents as the left over mud is still there even after draining out of the water.

 

“The construction work is going on mostly during night time with heavy machinery which causes huge noise throughout the night. The halogen lights on the site add to the discomfort as we struggle to get a peaceful sleep every night,” a 65-year-old resident told to The Hitavada. “Initially, the workers released the water on the road, due to which many commuters fell down. After our stern objection last night, they used a long pipe and dumped the muddy water in a storm water drainage which is has now choked due to left-over mud,” said another resident. Many residents are suffering from asthma and migraine.

 

After commencement of the construction work, some of them started feeling breathing issues as the construction releases dust throughout the day, lamented another resident. The sufferers raised the issue before MLC Sandip Joshi and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) officials who also visited the site, but nothing happened so far, claimed a nearby shop-owner who is also a resident of the same area. As per the information, the high-rise building is being constructed after demolishing the old Manjusha Convent in Sneh Nagar. Residents are surprised as to how a high-rise building is coming up in the locality on the land of an old school. According to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court, all kind of construction and renovation activities are prohobited from 8 pm to 8 am in the city, but this construction work is downright defying the court’s orders.