Team Goemkarponn
MARGAO: The Goa Human Rights Commission has directed a Margao eatery to take corrective measures after an inquiry found that smoke, cooking emissions and noise from the establishment were affecting a senior citizen couple living in the flat above it.
The Commission has recommended that Café 108 relocate its outlet within 30 days in a manner that allows cooking fumes and smoke to disperse towards the open area above the building’s entrance passage rather than towards the residential portion.
The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has been asked to follow up on the recommendation and ensure that the required changes are carried out.
The proceedings followed a complaint by Rajiv Naik Dalal, who had approached the GHRC alleging that directions issued in an earlier inquiry concerning the restaurant had not been acted upon. He sought intervention over the conditions affecting his family.
The Commission noted that Dalal and his wife are senior citizens and occupy a first-floor apartment located immediately over the restaurant. It observed that their residential surroundings should provide them with the peace and quiet appropriate for their age and circumstances.
The GHRC’s findings followed a physical inspection conducted on August 28. The Commission’s Chairperson, accompanied by its two Members, visited the eatery, examined the service duct and also inspected the complainant’s flat.
The inspection was attended by three GSPCB engineers, Dalal and a partner of Café 108.
One of the issues recorded by the Commission was the positioning of the restaurant’s exhaust duct. It was found within the enclosed gap between the walls of the building, prompting the Commission to recommend a change in the arrangement of the outlet.
The Commission also took note of the sound conditions inside the premises. It recorded that the sound had a high pitch in areas including the kitchen, toilets and bedrooms. The restaurant’s position was that the noise levels were within the limits permitted for commercial activity.
