Corporation defies collector, Kannurs war-era siren to keep ringing

KANNUR: The six decade-old rhythm of Kannur town will not be silenced. The corporation council has decided to retain the municipal office siren, a relic dating back to the India-Pakistan war of 1965, despite the district collectors order to remove it. The siren, which sounds daily at 6am, 1pm, and 6pm, was originally installed to warn residents during wartime. Over the decades, it was woven into the towns identity -- serving as a timekeeper for generations of residents. To many, its wail is more than noise; it is a heritage. The current dispute began after Kannur range DIG Yathish Chandra complained that the early-morning siren was a disturbance to his camp office staff. Following the complaint, the senior environmental engineer examined the corporation office siren and submitted a report to District Collector Arun K Vijayan. The study found that while the background noise level in the area was 66.2 dB, the siren raised it to 94.9 dB. According to the Noise Pollution (Prevention and Control) Rules, 2010, sound from a public loudspeaker should not exceed 10 dB above background noise and must remain under 75 dB. However, the siren exceeded both limits, recording 28.7 dB above the background level and 19.9 dB above the permissible maximum, according to the study. Based on these findings, the collector directed the corporation to either control the volume or dismantle the device, and that it should not be used other than in disaster situations. The directive warned that the siren will be confiscated if an alternative system was not installed within two weeks. But in a stormy council meeting on Monday, members across party lines rejected the order outright. Former mayor T O Mohanan mocked the collector for calling the siren a disaster. Mohanan accused the administration of overreach, saying, A constitutional institution like the corporation cannot be treated in such a threatening tone. The common people in Kannur city have no issues with the siren. If the DIG cannot sleep hearing the siren, let him go out of the city, said Mohanan. Councillors reminded the house that the siren was installed for public safety during wartime and has since become a living monument. It is part of our collective memory. People in Kannur do not agree with its abolition, opposition member T Raveendran said. Deputy Mayor P Indira, along with standing committee members Ziyad Thangal, M P Rajesh, Shamima, Suresh Babu Elayavoor, Shahina Moideen and several other councillors spoke passionately in defence of keeping the siren. A petition signed by 200 residents, including police personnel, was also submitted, demanding that the siren continue. The siren is not just a device, it is history, said City Heritage founder Muhammed Shihad. Silencing it is erasing a part of Kannurs past, he said. Meanwhile, Mayor Muslih Madathil maintained that the corporation hasnt received a copy of the complaint against the siren. The council will demand a copy of the complaint received by the collector and summon the complainant for a hearing. Until then, Kannurs war-era siren will continue to echo across the town, as it has for six decades, he said.