The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday asked the district administration and the police to remove all unauthorised loudspeakers installed at religious places, ANI reported.
According to the pollution control board’s rules, loudspeakers cannot be played from 10 pm to 6 am. There are limits on the sound levels as well.
The Adityanath-led government has asked 75 district administrations to identify religious places and public areas where unauthorised loudspeakers are being used. The owner/manager/trustee of such places will have to obtain permission for using the loudspeakers under the permissible limit. If they fail to do so, the police and local administration will remove the loudspeakers by January 20, reported The Times of India.
“The loudspeakers installed at public places cannot have sound level more than 10 dB [decibel] above the periphery of a public place and 5 dB above at the periphery of private place,” Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar told The Times of India. “All the district magistrates have to categorise the districts into areas of industrial, commercial, residential and silence zones. Each area has separate maximum limits for permissible sound levels.”
The order came after the Allahabad High Court said that loudspeakers should be removed to curb noise pollution. In December, the Lucknow bench of the High Court had sought replies from the state government and UP Pollution Control Board on the alleged misuse of loudspeakers in religious places.
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