IAS officer in MP stirs up row questioning loudspeakers in temples

Bhopal: A senior IAS officer in Madhya Pradesh sparked a controversy after questioning on social media the use of the public address system in temples causing noise pollution.

Following Shailbala Martin's social media post religious groups called for protests against her.

Last week, a debate over the public address system causing noise pollution began after the death of a 13-year-old boy during the Durga idol emersion in Bhopal.

The boy was dancing to a DJ sound and collapsed all of a sudden and died on Friday.

Following the incident, Madhya Pradesh Police swung into action and started an investigation into the case while the incident also started a debate on the issue.

A journalist on the social media platform X questioned the disparity in enforcement, focusing on the use of public address systems in mosques and the prevalence of DJs playing music outside these spaces.

Responding to the post, the IAS officer Shailbala Martin said that noise pollution caused by the public address system in temples - questioning why such disturbances, which can be heard several streets away and continue late into the night - are often overlooked.

However, the officer's post wasn't received well by the rightwing organisation 'Sanskriti Bachao Manch' head Chandrashekhar Tiwari, saying that they would stage a protest against the officer.

Meanwhile, Congress Spokesperson Abbas Hafeez said IAS officer Shailbala Martin has raised a genuine question.

"A senior officer has raised questions on the BJP government's biased action against the public address system," Hafeez said.

The 2009-batch officer, Shailbala Martin, has not questioned the government's actions for the first time.

Martin is currently serving as the Additional Secretary in the General Administration Department (GAD). She began her career in the State Civil Service (SCS) before being promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on June 12, 2017.

She has held various positions, including roles in the Health Department in 2014, Municipal Commissioner of Burhanpur in 2019, and Collector of Niwari district the same year.

Since January 25, 2022, she has been serving as Additional Secretary in the General Administration Department.

Last year, the Madhya Pradesh government issued guidelines to mitigate noise pollution, which specifically aimed to regulate the public address system in religious venues.

IANS with edits