In a public statement made on Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh police stated that they have been removed over 54000 illegal loudspeakers from various religious places across the state. The eradication drive took place following orders of an Allahabad High Court, the volume levels of over 60,000 speakers have also been reduced to the permissible decibel.
Removal of loudspeakers all across the state
Prashant Kumar, the Additional Director General of Police while in a conversation with ANI disclosed the removal of 16,682 loudspeakers in the Bareilly zone, in addition to the reduction in the volume levels of over 17,204 loudspeakers. The Varanasi Police Commissionerate reported the removal of over 1336 loudspeakers while the volume levels of 313 speakers were reduced.
Other prominent cities on the list include Meerut (1,204), Gorakhpur (1,778), and Prayagraj(1,172). Lucknow topped the list with a total of 2,395 loudspeakers dismembered across various parts of the city.
Justifying their actions, Kumar stated that only unauthorized loudspeakers were being removed. A loudspeaker falls under the category of being unauthorized or illegal if it has been installed without the due permission of the district administration or has been placed more than the permitted numbers.
What did Yogi Adityanath say?
This news follows the order of the Uttar Pradesh government of removing illegal loudspeakers from all religious places, irrespective of religion. An announcement for the restricted use of loudspeakers by the Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath was made in early April as well. Various districts have been asked to submit compliance reports on the same.
The Chief Minister of the state, in a meeting with senior officials, asserted that everyone has the right and freedom to follow and practice the religion of their choice; however, the methods and
traditions followed by one religion should not create disturbances for the other communities. “Though microphones can be used, make sure that the sound does not meander outside of any premises. The general public should not encounter any problems”, said Yogi.
Execution of the orders
Awinash Awasthi, the Additional Chief Secretary said that the police have been instructed to establish polite conversations with religious moderators and ensure their coordination in the removal of unauthorized loudspeakers.
Following the orders, leaders from both Hindu and Muslim religious communities decided to reduce the volume of loudspeakers. Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura was the first one to receive the orders when they decided not to broadcast the famous ‘Manglacharan Aarti’ that was echoed every day for an hour from 5 am from the temple premises.
They were followed by Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, Rajeshwari Temple in Meerut as well as many temples in both Kanpur and Ayodhya. Directives have been issued to all Sunni mosques in the state to lower the volume of their loudspeakers and to ensure that the sound does not come out of their premises.
Inspectors caught unawares
Various investigations have also found that the law enforcement bodies of the state are not well-equipped to tackle the problem of noise pollution that is faced by the city. Not only the unauthorized devices but many authorized sources also surpass the prescribed thresholds of sound pollution.
When asked about the permitted decibel levels and verified types of equipment to probe the problem, many inspectors were at their wit’s end. Many inspectors admitted that they did not have the technology that is required for the enforcement of anti-noise pollution drives. When asked questions about the prevention of noise pollution, several police officials blamed the rising levels on the buyers and sellers of microphones.
Published By – Supreeti Ghosh
