Editor,
The high-decibel music emanating from the Courtyard by Marriott Shillong, a five-star hotel operating from the old Shillong Municipal Board campus on Jail Road, demands urgent intervention from both the government and the court of law.
Time and again, the hotel has been blasting music at unreasonably high volumes, disturbing the peace and tranquillity of the surrounding residential areas well beyond 10 pm. Residents have repeatedly complained, calling the hotel authorities whenever the decibel levels exceed acceptable levels. The hotel, in turn, lowers the volume temporarily, only to resume the same nuisance later. This has now become a deliberate practice—flexing sound levels with impunity and only reducing them when compelled by irate residents.
The Supreme Court of India has made it unambiguously clear that noise levels from private sources, including hotels, must not exceed the ambient noise standards, particularly at the property boundary. Furthermore, amplified sound sources, including music, are strictly prohibited during night hours—10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Yet, this hotel continues to flout apex court directions brazenly and without consequence.
The residents of Jail Road, Quinton Road, Police Reserve, Quinton Lane, Police Bazar, and even Umsohsun have all been unwilling “audiences” to this nocturnal assault. My friends living in Umsohsun confirm they too hear the booming music late at night—raising a pertinent question: if Umsohsun residents can hear it, how is it that Sadar Police Station, located far closer, remains deaf to it? This glaring inaction raises serious doubts about enforcement and accountability.
In contrast, both Bangalore City Police and Guwahati City Police have issued strict warnings to hotels and commercial establishments regarding permissible decibel levels after 10 pm. Yet, Shillong Police have remained silent spectators, allowing this violation to continue unchecked. Is the peace of entire neighbourhoods to be sacrificed at the altar of a commercial establishment’s profits?
The issue is not about opposing the hotel’s business. It is about ensuring that business does not come at the cost of residents’ peace, health, and legal rights. Forcing entire localities to endure sleepless nights and unsolicited noise is unacceptable. In the landmark Noise Pollution case (2005), the Supreme Court of India declared that the right to sleep is a fundamental right protected under Article 21 (Right to Life) of the Constitution. Through this column, I strongly urge the relevant authorities to wake up to their responsibilities, uphold the law of the land, and take firm action. Enough is enough—this menace has to stop.
Yours etc.
Affected residents
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