Mobile vendors turn up the volume, south Kashmir battles daily noise pollution

Shopian, Nov 27: Every morning, long before customers reach the markets in south Kashmir, the air is filled with the loud chorus of announcements blaring from speakers mounted on handcarts, autos and mobile vans. From garment and utensil sellers to vegetable vendors, many have turned to battery-powered loudspeakers to advertise their presence, offering discounts and repeating pre-recorded messages throughout the day.

These persistent broadcasts have become a growing source of irritation for shopkeepers, residents and commuters in Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag.

Tariq Ahmad, who runs a shop in Shopian town, said the constant noise has made his work increasingly difficult. “There is not a single hour in the day when these recorded messages are not replaying,” he said, adding that some vendors also shout offers through microphones, making it hard for shopkeepers to concentrate.

Shopkeepers in neighbouring districts echoed the grievance. “It becomes impossible to talk to customers. People avoid stopping near our shops because of the noise,” said a trader from Pulwama.

Residents living close to main market roads said the disturbance starts early in the morning and continues late into the evening. Javed Ahmad, a resident of Anantnag’s KP Road, said his house is barely 20 metres from the main road. “These vendors pass by repeatedly with loud music or announcements. Sometimes it feels like we are living inside a marketplace,” he said.

Businesses along these routes also say the high volume affects customers, particularly elderly persons, children and patients visiting nearby clinics. Although many shopkeepers have approached municipal officials, they say enforcement remains poor.

Advocate Iftikhar Hussain told Greater Kashmir that noise from microphones is regulated under the Jammu and Kashmir Instruments (Control of Noise) Act, 1959. The law states: “No person shall use or operate any instrument… at such pitch or volume as to be audible beyond the precincts thereof, except under the permitted authority of the District Magistrate or an officer authorised by him.”

He said that in practice, very few mobile vendors adhere to these regulations. “With traffic congestion, construction work and generators already adding to the sound levels, loudspeakers have become yet another avoidable layer of noise,” Hussain added.