Bhopal: A social media post by senior IAS officer Shailbala Martin questing the installation of a public address system in temples leading to noise pollution has sparked row in Madhya Pradesh. Several religious groups have called for protests against her over the post.
The debate started in the debate last week in the States, after a 13-year-old boy, who was part of Durga idol immersion in Bhopal suddenly collapsed and died. He was dancing to a DJ sound at the time of the incident. The police swung into action soon after the incident and started probing into the matter. The IAS officer’s response had come over a tweet by a journalist about the use of Loudspeakers in mosques.
और मंदिरों पर लगे लाउडस्पीकर, जो कई कई गलियों में दूर तक स्पीकर्स के माध्यम से ध्वनि प्रदूषण फैलाते हैं, जो आधी आधी रात तक बजते हैं उनसे किसी को डिस्टरबेंस नहीं होता🤔 https://t.co/rQ8axYQkre
— Shailbala Martin (@MartinShailbala) October 20, 2024
Remarks did not go down well with religious leaders
“And the loudspeakers installed on temples, which spread noise pollution through speakers far and wide in many streets, which keep playing till midnight do not disturb anyone,” she wrote on X in response. However, her message did not go down well with several religious organisations, with ‘Sanskriti Bachao Manch’ head Chandrashekhar Tiwari, announcing his group’s decision to protest against the officer.
Calling her remarks as biased, BJP leader Bhargava said that Martin being an IAS officer herself must ensure that the law and order must be followed, however, she only questioned the use of the loudspeakers on temples, he added.
Who is Shaibala Martin?
Shaibala Marin is a 2009-batch IAS officer. She is serving as the Additional Secretary in the General Administration Department (GAD) currently. Martin started her career in the State Civil Service (SCS). She was later promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in June 2017. She earlier served in Health Department, as Burhanpur Municipal Commissioner in 2019, and Niwari Collector in the same year.
