Continuing its effort to check pollution control around the Taj, the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has targeted the loudspeakers installed at the various temples and mosques of Taj Ganj as the major sources of noise pollution in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal.

In a letter issued to the Agra district magistrate and corresponding police stations of the town on Monday, the UPPCB has demanded the loudhailers functioning around the Taj Mahal to be immediately scrapped down, not discriminating between commercial installations and the loudspeakers installed on religious buildings like temples, mosques etc.

Incidentally, being a World Heritage monument, the Taj Mahal enjoys the special status of being protected from noise pollution with the maximum noise allowed at the main dome of the monument restricted at just 45dB (decibels). The monument has already been crippled by a number of cultural programmes organised behind the Taj Mahal including the "Yanni Show" in 1997 and Zee Antakshari in the year 2000. The area around the Taj is deemed to be a 'silence zone' with the noise limits at 50dB in the day and 40dB during nights but in reality the noise levels in and around the monument far exceed the norms specified in the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) (Amendment) Rules, 2002 by more than 20-30dB.

According to the UPPCB data, besides a few music shops in the densely populated Tajganj area, there are seven mosques, seven temples and one Gurudwara around the Taj and most of these, except the three mosques inside the Taj Mahal premises appear to be the only sources of noise pollution.

Talking to The Pioneer, UPPCB Regional Officer Ashok Kumar Tiwari said that the Board had received a number of complaints from the residents of Tajganj and surrounding areas regarding the indiscriminate use of loudspeakers and other noise generating equipment including standby power generators that can be found aplenty in the area.