Nearly 54,000 unauthorised loudspeakers were removed from religious places and the volume of over 60,000 was set to allowsible limits across Uttar Pradesh after a government order, a senior police official said on Sunday. A statewide drive to remove unauthorized loudspeakers from religious places and set the volume of others within permissible limits began on April 25.
There were 53,942 loudspeakers removed and the volume of 60,295 loudspeakers was set within permissible limits until Sunday morning, according to Additional Director General of Police Law and Order Prashant Kumar.
A senior home department official said that the drive will continue in the coming days.
The ADGP said that the loudspeakers are being removed from all religious places without discrimination.
Kumar said that the loudspeakers that are being removed are unauthorised. He said that the loudspeakers placed without permission from the district administration or the ones that are placed in excess of the permitted numbers are categorised as unauthorised.
He said that orders of the high court regarding loudspeakers are being considered during the exercise. The High Court ordered the UP government to install loudspeakers at religious and public places after getting permission from the authorities referring to the Noise Pollution Regulation and Control Rules, 2000.
The recent drive against loudspeakers followed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's recent drive against loudspeakers at a review meeting in April, which said people have the freedom to perform their religious practices according to their faith.
The sound doesn't come out of any premises, though microphones can be used. He said that people should not face any problem.