City sees sharp rise in noise pollution due to honking, Police to launch drive

Jamshedpur : An endless stream of private vehicles, honking buses and heavy vehicles and mushrooming two-wheelers are leading to traffic snarls and adding to the load of air and noise pollution. Like most cities, Jamshedpur, known for its clean and green climate, is fast becoming a concrete jungle of chaos and cacophony.

Noise levels are rising and are well above the stipulated limits. The measurements taken recently in the busy areas of Sakchi, Bistupur and Kadma hover around 70-75 dB. Sometimes, they even touch 120 dB against the prescribed limit of 55 dB for residential zones.

Noise pollution has become a major problem for city dwellers, with several cases of unnecessary honking registered by the city police in one year.

Officials of traffic police added that most drivers pulled up for unnecessary honking were owners of private vehicles. This shows that those travelling in private vehicles are always in a hurry to reach their destinations and, therefore, tell their drivers to use horn even when it is not necessary.

Moreover, because only 7-8 percent road space is available in the city, long queues of vehicles are seen at various intersections during the peak hours and people have a tendency to use the horn till the traffic starts to move.
Slow-moving vehicles also pose a serious threat.

Drivers of cars, taxis and other fast-moving vehicles that often fall behind a slow-moving vehicle keep honking if they do not get a pass. Slow moving vehicles take a longer time to allow other vehicles to move ahead due to narrow road space. Thus, drivers unnecessarily blow their horn. They fail to check their habit even near medical care establishments and educational institutions, the officer said.

The blaring horns jar the ear drums and the cacophony of drums and pipes is scary. As Jamshedpur races towards urbanisation, many people are feeling the ill-effects of noise pollution. Crass commercialisation of residential areas, blatant violation of traffic rules and lack of civic sense has made the noise levels intolerable.

The deputy superintendent of police (traffic), R. M Sinha on Tuesday issued a directive to Shikshit Berozgar Mini Bus Association (SBMBA)�an apex outfit of private bus operators in city to remove pressure horns from their vehicles with immediate effect.

The traffic police have also decided to launch a drive against offending buses during surprise checking. The offenders will have to pay Rs 1000 as fine. The drive will begin on city roads by the end of this week.

�The police department has been receiving complaints from residents about unnecessary blowing of pressure horns which creates lot of noise on city roads by heavy vehicles, especially private buses. Also, many vehicles, especially buses, generate tremendous amount of noise as they tamper with the silencers. Those guilty of not bothering to contain thick exhaust fumes will also be fined,� noted the traffic DSP.

��Prevention of noise pollution calls for multi-pronged approach from the pollution control board and police officials. Public awareness campaigns should be started to educate the people about the ill-effects of noise pollution and instill civic sense,” said district official.

A loudspeaker or a public address system shall not be used at night (between 10.00 p.m.and 6.00 a.m.) except in closed premises for communication within, e.g. auditoria, conference rooms, community halls and banquet halls. But thanks to a complete lack of coordination between Police and Road Transport Authorities, the rules continue to be flouted.