LUCKNOW: In a statewide drive to ensure compliance of government directives over the use of loudspeakers at religious sites across the state, 778 loudspeakers were removed from religious sites of different communities across Uttar Pradesh in the past 48 hours.
Besides, the volume of 21,140 loudspeakers was lowered in accordance with the prescribed decibel levels. Recently, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed officials to ensure that the public address systems are not installed at religious sites without prior permission and at places which are permitted to use loudspeakers it should be ensured that the sound does not go beyond the premises where they are installed.
As per the UP police dossier, maximum 711 illegal loudspeakers were removed in Lucknow police zone, comprising Hardoi, Kheri, Lucknow rural, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Unnao, Ambedkarnagar, Barabanki, Amethi, Ayodhya and Sultanpur.
Volume of 5,469 loudspeakers was lowered in the Bareilly police zone.
In Amethi, superintendent of police, Dinesh Singh has issued notices to all 963 religious places, including 202 temples and 761 mosques. “We have mentioned that only one loudspeaker will be installed at a religious place, be it a temple or a mosque. If a religious place has a vast area it can install more than one, but for that an inspection will be done by a senior officer and permission will be taken,” said Singh.
Additional director general of police, law and order, Prashant Kumar said all district police chiefs have been instructed to ensure that the volume of loudspeakers should not be above prescribed levels and the voice from it should not come out of the premises. “Following the directives, meetings and communication with as many as 40,000 religious leaders from the Muslim and Hindu communities have been convened across the state and they have been apprised of the Supreme Court order in this connection,” the officer added.
He said that SHOs have been directed to oversee the entire exercise of loudspeaker removal and lowering of noise from the public address system.
The Noida police commissionerate was the first to issue notices to about 900 religious places, marriage halls and other installations that use loudspeakers, alerting them about the guidelines regarding the sound limit.
