Religious Cacophony
Shiv Sena has called for a ban on loudspeakers at mosques and accused noise pollution activist Sumaira Abdulali of bias.

Sumaira's Reply
 

The Shiv Sena Party has at last supported my request for banning loudspeakers atop mosques. It took some provocation to reach this point, since they as the Opposition Party, did nothing to ensure implementation of an affidavit filed by the Government over a year ago that all religious places would be declared Silence Zones– but hope has dawned once more.  I do hope the endangered tiger means to stop roaring and get down to some action soon.

 

In 2004, I filed a Notice of Motion in my pending PIL that loudspeakers on religious places should be banned, supported with data from numerous such places. In 2005, Muslim clerics voluntarily gave up early morning azaans for a brief period when the Supreme Court passed it’s order restricting Ganpati to 10pm but most resumed after the time was extended (at the request of Maharashtra State) up to 12 midnight.

 

All communities continue to break the Law with impunity and as usual, the common man suffers so that political parties, for political and commercial gain, can continue to disturb their peace in the name of religious sentiments. Thereafter, suffering citizens including me have filed complaints with the Police against early morning azans to no avail. I finally took the matter to Court again.

 

In 2009 the Government filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court that they would notify religious places as Silence Zones. No action. The tiger was asleep while senior citizens and others were suffering because of the noise pollution from loudspeakers of every community, both late at night and early in the morning.

 

Noise is secular by it’s very nature. It attacks people of every community and leaves them helpless to suffer it’s ill effects including hearing loss, high blood pressure, mental stress, heart disease and many others. The Supreme Court of India has held that religion is not a reason to break Noise Rules. The Bombay High Court also allowed the Rally at Shivaji Park subject to decibel levels being maintained. I sincerely appeal to leaders of all communities and political parties to fight this hazard which is slowly killing us all and, hereon, to restrict noise levels on all occasions to within safe and legal limits.

 

Sumaira Abdulali

Awaaz Foundation

21st October 2010


awaazfoundation.org


From Sudhir Badami, leading anti-noise pollution activist:

I am forwarding to you all, response of Ms Sumaira Abdulali (Awaaz Foundation). I fully support her response as I have been a campaigner against noise. Yet I believe that there must be avenues for public expressions to political visions and aspirations. Therefore, perhaps a reasonable solution could be arrived at if one keeps cool heads and desires not to get deciBell points {aka brownie points]. Apparently Shiv Sena decided to opt for gaining delBell points at Shivaji Park on 17 October 2010 at their annual Vijayadashami Rally. They could very well have used distributed speaker system with low amplification power which has a throw of 5 m. This would ensure that 5 m beyond the peripheral speakers, the sound level will attain the prevailing ambient noise level. This point is what needs to be pursued with by all and not take an attitude of "tiger's roar cannot be restricted to 50dB(A)".
Having said that, let me touch upon the Azaan issue and Ms Sumaira. I can assure you that she has been consistent with her efforts to bring down noise levels and has a petition in the High Court pending for a long time and she spares no effort in this direction either.
It is not just Bhendi Bazar or Behram Pada areas which get affected by the Azaans. It is a nuisance violating noise rules grossly affecting every person round the year five times a day wherever there is a mosque. All political parties are responsible for being ineffective as each one of the major parties have been in power over the past 35 year. It was sometime during the Emergency (~1976) period that the Government of Maharashtra gave permission to religious places to put up loudspeakers atop their towers. The EP Act came about in 1986, Noise Rule in 1989 and the revised Rule in 2000. The EPA-1986 supersedes all other acts or rules. The "Yuti Sarkar" should have been aware of this but preferred to keep silent when they were in power.
I am not trying to point fingers at any one but wish to urge every one of you to take proactive measures to encourage observance of Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules 2000 rather than work against it for political gains in the form of "delBell points".
For easy access to Noise related matter, please visit my website given below.
I am sharing this with my media friends.
Regards

Sudhir Badami
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