BENGALURU/KOZHIKODE: Bengaluru residents are up in arm against music played on loudspeakers, thanks to the festival season, while in sharp contrast these speakers (Kolambi) are a mode of daily updates and prayer call for the people of Wayanad in Kerala for the past several years.
In July 2005, the Supreme Court banned the use of cone-shaped speakers after it was found that they produce high decibels of sound. But the bengaluru locals have been complaining that their use has been rampant over the past few days, and the Pollution Control Board is not taking action against the violators.
“I have not slept properly for the past few days because of the unbearable noise of the loudspeakers installed at a nearby temple. It has become a nuisance, especially when they play loud songs late at night and early morning,” said S Shashwathi, a resident of Shanthi Nagar. She said elderly people, children and pets are suffering a lot.
“There is hardly anyone to check the noise level of these speakers,” she added.
Activists say neither Karnataka State Pollution Control Board nor police take action against violators because majority of the violators are religious institutions and officials are reluctant to take action against them owing to the political pressure.
Kavitha Reddy, an activist and a resident of HSR Layout, said, “We are not against festivals or any religion, but playing music in the name of religion should not cause inconvenience to citizens.”
The Madras High Court recently said religions are ancient and prayers were held even before the invention of electricity and speakers. “It appears that these institutions perceive that blessings of god cannot be obtained unless there is a loud noise,” the court said.
However, the case in Wayanad is totally opposite as public service announcements related to warnings about the arrival of elephants, natural calamity, and information about deaths, besides the religious ones, are being made through these speakers on the Panamaram-Manathavady stretch for the past 20 years.
The practice prevails at Kaithakkal Juma Masjid, Neykuppa Masjid, Depot Masjid, Parakkuni Juma Masjid, Changadakkadav Masjid, Mathoor Masjid and Neervaram-Manalvayal Juma Masjid.
“The mosque loudspeakers can be heard up to two km, and sometimes the forest department approaches us to send out elephant arrival alerts through it,” said Moidheen K, secretary of Kaithakkal Juma Masjid.
Loudspeakers at these mosques are serving a non-religious purpose besides adding to the communal harmony of
the place.