Indian UP government starts crackdown on mosques using loud speakers
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LUCKNOW: Indian UP government has started crackdown over the mosques using loud speakers for prayers and Azaan.
The government has directed DMs and SPs to constitute teams which will visit mosques where loudspeakers or public address systems have been installed.
In a letter issued on January 4, the state home department directed district magistrates to demarcate residential and commercial zones and conduct the survey of loudspeakers quickly. The serial number of the loudspeakers will also be noted down during the drive.
The teams would find if the owners of the premises had installed loudspeakers after obtaining permission from local administration. "The individuals would be given a form to apply for permission and submit it at the Collectorate. The nodal officer would examine the applications and decide whether to allow the loudspeakers," said principal secretary home Arvind Kumar <link>.
The government has set January 10 deadline for completion of the survey. From January 15, a drive will be started to remove loudspeakers installed without permission.
A PIL filed in the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court urged the court to order removal of loudspeakers installed at religious spots like temples, mosques, gurudwaras and churches as they lead to noise pollution. The PIL was filed by Moti Lal Yadav <link>.