The pollution level around the Golden Temple declined marginally this Divali as compared to last year. But, the shrine and its vicinity still remained the most polluted and noisy part of the holy city. Making public the data about pollution and noise-level tests conducted on Divali and Bandi Chhod Diwas (on November 13), the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) said as compared to 402 respirable suspended patriculate matter (RSPM) in 2011, the level this year around Harmandar Sahib was 390 RSPM. The decision by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to reduce the duration of fireworks at the Golden Temple from 15 to 10 minutes this year has apparently paid back. However, the decrease of 12 points in RSPM level could not shift the position of the Golden Temple vicinity from being the most polluted and noisy part of the city. The holy complex was way ahead of the second most-polluted area of the city — situated near a hospital — where the level was 361 RSPM. Similarly, RSPM content in residential and commercial areas was recorded at 360 and 358 RSPM, respectively. Similarly, noise level was also found to be the highest around the Golden Temple complex at 74 dB. It showed a marginal decrease of a dB as compared to last year. Closely following it was a commercial area at 73 dB. PPCB Executive Engineer Jaswant Singh Randhawa said the recording of pollution and noise level around the holy complex was initiated last year after a study pointed out that these factors were affecting the grandeur of the shrine and its gold plating. The PPCB had advised the SGPC to ban bursting of firecrackers at the Golden Temple complex. However, the SGPC had said they could not discontinue fireworks altogether as it was a traditional way to celebrate the occasion and devotees’ sentiments were attached to it. Though the local administration in the past had earlier initiated measures like banning coal-run hearths being used by goldsmiths around the shrine and providing LPG connections to them, a lot still needs to be done to make the vicinity smoke-free. The number of private vehicles plying in the area is also considerably high. The SGPC also has to expedite its efforts to modernise 'langar' facility in a bid to curb pollution. This is the second successive year when the SGPC has curtailed the duration of fireworks so as to protect the holy shrine from pollution. Last year, the Golden Temple had witnessed fireworks for only 15 minutes on Divali, which was half as compared to previous years. Divali efforts To curb pollution, the SGPC had reduced the duration of fireworks on Divali and Bandi Chhod Diwas from 15 minutes last year to 10 minutes this year As a result, pollution level decreased from 402 RSPM last year to 390 RSPM But, the holy shrine and its vicinity was still Amritsar's most polluted area on Divali The level in second most polluted part of the city (near a hospital) stood at 361 RSPM The level in residential and commercial areas was recorded at 360 RSPM and 358 RSPM, respectively