BHOPAL: A day after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath set new rules for the use of loudspeakers, former Madhya Pradesh CM Uma Bharti not only praised the move but also suggested that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government follow suit in MP.
“The policy decision taken by the Yogi Adityanath government in UP to control sound pollution is commendable. Due to excessive noise and commotion, diseases related to the nervous system are increasing among people living in cities and villages. It is extremely necessary that they sleep peacefully at night. Therefore, there should be strict control on microphones from 10pm to 7am,” Bharti tweeted on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Adityanath ordered that loudspeakers may be used but the sound should be contained within the building and not inconvenience others.
Bharti agreed with the UP CM and argued, “Amplifiers should be permitted on condition that the sound will reach only those persons sitting there to listen. There should be no discrimination on the basis of religion.” She pointed out that hospitals and schools are being disturbed by such noise. “The suffering of students, the ailing and the elderly is heightened by this noise and clamour. Time should be fixed for marriage procession DJs or any other procession and a permissible decibel level should be decided, only then can we contribute to the creation of a healthy society,” she suggested, adding: “Let us also take such a decision in Madhya Pradesh.”
Bharti has been in the news recently for her campaigns against her party’s government in Madhya Pradesh. From demanding a ban on liquor sale to insisting that the gates of Someshwar Dham temple in Raisen Fort be opened, Bharti has been putting the BJP government in one tough spot after another.
Speaking on Bharti’s tweet, state BJP senior spokesman Dr Hitesh Vajpayee reasoned, “We are all law abiding citizens. The Supreme Court has already ruled that loudspeakers will not be allowed between 10pm and 6am, allowing relaxation on only 15 days a year. So, the law should be followed.”
