Nagpur: The city police have removed 1,098 unauthorised loudspeakers and music systems from religious institutions, registering 10 criminal cases, initiating 29 penal actions, and seizing goods—including DJ equipment, musical instruments and vehicles — valued at 9 lakh since April 2025.The drive also included meetings with owners of 229 wedding lawns, banquet halls and event venues, and the issuance of notices under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to 132 establishments found to be non-compliant.The enforcement followed directives from the Bombay high court’s Nagpur bench in a PIL on March 5, which highlighted persistent violations of Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, and ordered immediate removal of unauthorised loudspeakers from religious places within seven days of public notice.From April 2025 onwards, all deputy commissioners and police stations were directed to survey religious institutions and inspect loudspeaker installations.A total of 116 meetings were held with heads of various religious institutions, clearly communicating the mandatory requirement of written permission from competent authorities under Rule 5 of the 2000 Rules. To ensure wider compliance, authorities issued formal notifications and published public notices in newspapers. Zonal DCPs briefed owners of wedding lawns, halls, event venues and banquet halls on the HC’s orders.CP Ravinder Singal appealed to citizens to voluntarily comply with the Noise Pollution Control Act, HC directions and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board circulars. He warned of strict legal action against violators using excessive loudspeakers, DJ systems, high-decibel sound equipment or firecrackers that cause disturbance.Police urged affected residents to report any sort of violation without hesitation to the nearest police station or by dialling 112, assuring complete confidentiality to such informants in cases.
