LUCKNOW, Oct. 24 -- Despite a cry for a "green" and "less noisy" festival, Lucknow once again broke sound barriers this year. Noise levels in the state capital on Diwali night far exceeded limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which sets the permissible levels at 45 decibels for residential areas and 55 decibels for commercial zones during night hours, as per the CSIR-IITR report released on Thursday. According to official data, Vikas Nagar was the noisiest locality, recording 89.3 decibels, nearly double the permissible limit. Chowk registered the highest noise level (85.6 dB) on the day before Diwali, while Aliganj was the noisiest the day after the festival, with 76.6 dB recorded. CSIR-IITR director Bhaskar Narayan suggested promoting community firework displays, similar to Japan's Hanabi festival, where people gather at designated locations to watch fireworks together. The report noted that night-time noise levels exceeded prescribed standards at all monitoring locations. It recommended stricter enforcement against illegal firecracker manufacturing and greater promotion of green firecrackers. The report also warned that firecrackers producing sound above 80 decibels (A) can damage the eardrum and impair hearing, either temporarily or permanently. htc...