Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the removal of illegal loudspeakers from all religious places. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Avnish Awasthi has sought a report from all the police captains, police commissioners, and district magistrates regarding the removal of illegal loudspeakers from religious places by April 30. However, action will be taken if the report is not submitted within the stipulated time frame.
While issuing instructions, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) has said that illegal loudspeakers should be removed on the basis of a discussion held with all religious leaders after they came to a consensus that the sound should be within a permissible limit.
The Home Secretary also made it clear that the names of the religious places that deny to follow the instructions would be made public and it will be displayed at the police station. The situation will be reviewed weekly, the home secretary said.
Awasthi quoting the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 said that the loudspeakers in industrial areas should be 75 dB loud during the day and 70 dB at night while in commercial areas the sound level should be 65 dB during the day and 55 dB at night. Significantly, in the residential areas the pitch should be 55 dB during the day and 45 dB at night. Loudspeakers could be played at 50 dB during the day and 40 dB at night in the silence zone.
Additional Director General of Police Law and Order Prashant Kumar said that they have removed about 125 loudspeakers and the police have voluntarily reduced the sound of about 17,000 speakers. He has said that they have held talks with about 37,344 religious leaders in compliance with the Alvida ki Namaz and the festivals of other religions. The police have taken down 125 loudspeakers and 17000 people have voluntarily reduced the sound.
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