Days after Sonu Nigam’s express discontent over the usage of loudspeakers by the mosques for the early morning Azaan, Guwahati city in Assam have declared ‘silent zones’ across all religious places in the city. Religious places including temples, mosque, Gurudwara and church fall under the silent zone mark.
The district magistrate of Kamrup (Metro) district, M Angamuthu have also directed State Pollution Control Board to file a monthly report on the noise pollution levels in the areas. They will also have to collect dats and prepare statistics to check nois pollution in the ‘silent zone’ while taking necessary steps to check the problem. According to reports, apart from religious places, areas around government offices, private hospitals and schools, the district administration will also come under the silent zone.
Angamuthu told the Sunday Express that the religious places will not be allowed to use loudspeakers from 10 PM to 6 AM. The directive have issued keeping up with the Rule 3 (2) of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, of the Environment Protection Act of 1986, Indian Express reported.
“State Government may categorise the areas into industrial, commercial, residential or silence areas/zones for the purpose of implementation of noise standards for different areas”, Rule 3 (2) reads as. “All prominent religious places inclusive of temples, gurudwaras, mosques, churches, monastery, math and naam-ghar, etc,” the daily quoted excerpts from the notification as saying.
Sonu Nigam recently sparked row when he tweeted saying that the sound of the early morning Azaan disturbed his sleep adding that it was not about the Azaan but the use of loudspeakers. “God bless everyone. I’m not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India,” he tweeted.
