It’s not about faith but about our right to silence!

Hats off to you for the timely editorial on noise pollution (S/T 11-11-07) As you rightly say, the police would laugh in the face of a citizen who upholds his right to silence and attempts to lodge a complaint against noise pollution. We cite a shocking incident, which the authorities should investigate and initiate action for defying a directive from the highest court of the land.

After the landmark Supreme Court (SC) decision last Friday (09-11-07), the Samanpura Viharaya at Angulana Station Road, Moratuwa, installed loudspeakers on lamp posts along various close-quarter points from the temple right up to the Galle Road in this densely populated area in connection with a 'pinkama'. Even the by-roads leading to the Soyzapura housing scheme were not spared.

And for three days including two nights (till dawn on Friday and Saturday) and from morning till about 7.30 pm on Sunday, it was agony multiplied for thousands of residents. No sleep or rest was possible. The din which peaked in the silence of the night posed a potential health hazard to them.

The loudspeakers – scores of them covering a distance of more than two kilometres from the temple – blared forth leading to physical and psychological stress for the residents, particularly the old, feeble, infirm and small children. The misery continued for three days despite the presence of a police guardroom a stone's throw away at Angulana and two other fully-fledged police stations at Moratuwa and Mt. Lavinia. In addition, weren't there any police patrols which passed that way for three days? Even if the police had issued a loudspeaker permit earlier, why didn't they withdraw it after the SC order?

The SC directive clearly stated…."All permits issued by the police under Section 80 (1) of the Police Ordinance shall cease to be effective forthwith". Why did the police fail to implement this? It is not one's belief or faith that matters here – it is the gross violation of people's right to silence which has been upheld by the SC.

The SC orders quotes the much respected Ven. Piyadassi Thera in this regard…."Blaring forth the sacred suttas and disturbing the stillness of the environment, forcing it on ears of persons who do not invite such chant is the antithesis of Buddha's teachings".

The masses, particularly young lives should not be subject to such trauma. That's the bottom-line, as the SC order has inter alia noted thus, "It should not be forgotten that young babies in the neighborhood are also entitled to enjoy their natural right of sleeping in a peaceful atmosphere".

It further observed…. "The aged, sick people afflicted with psychic disturbances as well as children up to 6 years of age are considered to be very sensitive to noise. Their rights are also required to be honoured…" People suffered in silence because no resident wanted to face indignities and be laughed in the face by trying to make a police complaint.

As Buddhists, let us reiterate that it's not our faith that counts here. Let us all join hands to put a firm end to noise pollution which is gradually killing all of us. That's the ground reality we should come to terms with.

By a group of affected residents, Angulana Station Road, Moratuwa.