UP’s anti-loudspeaker drive: Tackling noise without technology | India Today sting

An India Today investigation has found that many in UP's law enforcement bodies are not trained and equipped to track and tackle noise pollution.

As the Uttar Pradesh administration cracks down on outdoor loudspeakers following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directives, an India Today investigation has found that many in the state law enforcement are not trained and equipped to track and tackle noise pollution in totality.

Physical removal of unauthorised devices is just one part of enforcing the rules. The existing guidelines also cover pollutants from authorised sources that surpass the prescribed thresholds of sound.

Police personnel India Today spoke to weren’t even aware that sound is measured in units called decibels, leave alone the tools and apps that record noise pollution.

At Muradnagar police station in Ghaziabad district, senior sub-inspector Sompal and head constable Kamal Hasan were at their wits’ end when asked about equipment.

“Do you have any decibel meter at your station or not?” the reporter asked the SSI.

“I’ll get it checked,” he replied.

Sompal’s colleague, Hasan, admitted they had no devices to measure sound levels.