Jammer keeps cell phones silent in Masjid

Srinagar, Jul 10: A Masjid here has been using electronic jamming equipment to ensure that cell phones carried by devotees do not ring during prayers and cause disturbance to the congregation.

Masjid-e-Bilal, situated on the fashionable Bund banks of Jhelum River in Srinagar and adjacent to Residency Road, has installed a jammer to ensure that cell phones do not ring during prayers.

"Despite repeated requests, devotees would often forget to switch off their phones during prayers. This would result in disturbance of prayers which Islam forbids.

"Sometimes Bollywood songs set as ring tones would start in the midst of Nimaz and that would embarrass the entire congregation," said Molvi Ajaz Ahmad, the Imam of the Masjid.

He said the jamming equipment was installed by the Masjid management nearly two years ago.

"We have ensured that the range of the jammer is confined to the Masjid so that it does not interfere with pedestrians carrying cell phones outside the Masjid," the Imam said.

He said the Muezzin of the Masjid switches on both the jamming equipment and the Masjid loudspeaker before calling devotees to prayers five times during the day.

"The moment the prayers are over, we switch off both the jamming equipment and the loudspeaker," the Imam said.

Those who offer regular prayers at the Masjid have expressed happiness at the Masjid management's decision to install the jammer.

"We have since been praying peacefully without any disturbance caused by unwanted ringing of the cell phones," said Gulam Nabi, 48, who works at a hotel outside the Masjid.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

Comments