KANNUR: It’s been four days since the siren on Kannur corporation premises, whose sound had synced with the lives of residents over the past 61 years, fell silent. On February 19, a Chief Justice-led bench of the Kerala High Court ordered discontinuation of sounding the siren three times a day, bringing the curtains down on a decades-old tradition that had resonated across Kannur for generations.
The HC issued the order on the petition filed by Prasanthan M, a resident who alleged that he was affected by the continuous and excessive noise pollution caused by the operation of the high-intensity siren.
In his petition, Prasanthan said the siren was installed during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 to warn people during emergencies. Though it outlived its original purpose, the siren continued to be operated mechanically, causing grave disturbance to the residents of the surrounding areas, he submitted.
However, Kannur Mayor Indira P countered, saying the siren was a heritage symbol of the corporation and deeply connected to the lives of people in the area.
“The siren has long been associated with important public events and observances. On Independence Day, residents and various organisations hoisted the national flag in sync with its sound. The siren also used to be sounded on the death anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi, and was a signal for people to observe a moment of silence,” said Indira, adding that the corporation will appeal the HC’s decision.
According to some, the sounding of the siren thrice a day — at 6am, 1pm and 6pm — helped generations of residents keep track of time. Shopkeepers, students, workers and homemakers alike grew accustomed to its familiar sound.
M P Rajesh, a former corporation councillor, too, said the siren’s sound has never affected any resident.
The dispute began after DIG Yathish Chandra (Kannur range) complained that the early-morning siren was disturbing staff at his camp office. Following this, a senior engineer from the Kannur office of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board conducted an inspection on August 8, 2025. During the inspection, the ambient sound level in the area, before the siren was sounded, was measured at 66.2 dB(A) Leq. When the siren was operated, the level increased to 94.9 dB(A) Leq.
Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Amendment Rules, 2010, say sound from a public address system or loudspeaker should not exceed the area’s ambient noise level by more than 10 dB(A) and must remain within the maximum limit of 75 dB(A). However, the inspection found that the siren’s sound level overshot these limits by 28.7 dB(A) and 19.9 dB(A), respectively. The report was submitted to District Collector Arun K Vijayan.