Loudspeaker vending banned

Court cites disturbance to patients, elderly citizens and students

RAWALPINDI:

A local court, while hearing a petition seeking enforcement of the Loudspeaker Act, on Monday imposed a ban on the use of loudspeakers and megaphones for the sale of food items, vegetables, fruit and other essential goods in residential streets and neighbourhoods between 7am and 12 midnight.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Maqsood Qureshi directed Station House Officers (SHOs) of all police stations to ensure immediate enforcement of the law and to register criminal cases against vendors and hawkers found violating the ban, a move that has triggered widespread concern among itinerant sellers across the city.

The petition was filed by Anwar Dar, Advocate, a senior member of the High Court Bar Association, against the Chief Secretary Punjab, Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi, City Police Officer, and the concerned SHOs.

Advocates Tanveer Abbas Bhatta and Samar Anwar Dar, representing the petitioner, contended that street vendors, hawkers and beggars operating in the streets and residential areas of Rawalpindi city and cantonment were routinely using loudspeakers and megaphones to make high-volume announcements, severely disrupting daily life. They further submitted that even begging through recorded audio announcements had become common.

The petition maintained that this illegal practice has caused acute mental distress to patients, elderly citizens and students, while seriously undermining public peace.

It was further stated that despite repeated complaints lodged through the Prime Minister's Citizen Portal, as well as formal representations made to the Deputy Commissioner and other administrative officials, no effective action had been taken. Similar applications submitted to the police also failed to yield any response, necessitating judicial intervention.

The court was informed that in numerous areas of Rawalpindi city and cantonment, vendors selling roasted corn, vegetables, fruit, ice cream, scrap material and other goods, along with organised beggar groups, were making indiscriminate use of loudspeakers and megaphones.

While the Amplifier Act is being enforced in mosques and other places of worship, the same law continues to be openly violated in residential neighbourhoods, with the district administration and police appearing unable to curb the practice.

Government counsel also confirmed the adverse impact of excessive loudspeaker use, noting that it affects not only domestic life but also patients, senior citizens and students attending online classes. After extensive arguments, the court observed that since the Loudspeaker Act is in force, there is no justification for police inaction.

The judge ruled that no open permission can be granted for the sale of goods through loudspeakers in residential streets, noting the presence of elderly persons, patients, young children and students in homes, as well as the proximity of schools and hospitals.

The court consequently ordered SHOs to take immediate legal action, halt the use of loudspeakers and megaphones for vending purposes, and register cases against violators without delay.