According to official data, the Uttar Pradesh emergency service UP 112 has received 6,558 complaints regarding 'loud music' in the last two months, with the majority of calls coming from Lucknow, followed by Noida, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, and Varanasi.
While disclosing the data, UP 112 asked citizens to report instances of noise pollution because lakhs of students are appearing for Board examinations in February and March.
In December, UP 112 received 1,558 complaints about loud music. The figure was 1,415 in January and 3,585 in February (up to February 15), according to the data.
The figures say that more complaints were received from large cities.
Lucknow, the state capital, topped the list with 739 complaints in 75 days. Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) came in second with 734 complaints, followed by Ghaziabad (590), Kanpur (376), and Varanasi (331) during the same period.
Compared to the larger cities, the smaller towns remained much quieter.
According to the data, UP 112 received only three such calls from Shravasti, ten from Auraiyya, and twelve each from Etah and Kaushambi districts during that period.
"If there is noise beyond permissible limits and it is disturbing citizens or disrupting the studies of students, one may call UP 112 and police response vehicles would be sent immediately to bring the noise under control. We are striving to provide the best environment to citizens, particularly students taking their board exams," Additional Director General (ADG) of Police Neera Rawat told PTI.
UP Police established 112, a dedicated helpline to take over the functions of helplines 100 (police), 101 (fire), and 102 (ambulance) during emergencies, offering citizens a one-stop grievance reporting 24/7.
The 112 hotline received 68.71 lakh calls in 2023, compared to 70.60 lakh in 2022 and 66.87 lakh in 2021, according to data accessed by PTI.
The state emergency service has a total of 4,800 Police Response Vehicles (PRVs), with 3,200 four-wheelers and 1,600 two-wheelers. According to an official, the fleet consists of 316 PRVs with female emergency responders.
Currently, 31,200 workers in UP 112 are on duty on the PRVs, excluding those on desk duty, according to the official.
