Pay heavily for honking too often, says government

Mumbai: The state government has filed an affidavit in the Bombay high court informing it that henceforth, vehicles found honking unnecessarily will be guilty of contributing to noise pollution and will be therefore be fined and punished under the Noise Pollution (regulation and control) Rules 2000.

Any vehicles found flouting noise or air pollution rules can be fined upto the tune of Rs 1,000 for a first offence and Rs 2,000 for a subsequent violation.

The state also informed the high court that it was awaiting the presidential assent for the Maharashtra Transport and Road Safety Act 2017, which included a rule to penalise unnecessary honking by motorists.   

A division bench comprising Justices A. S. Oka and V. V. Kankanwadi was hearing a public interest litigation filed by the Awaaz Foundation, an NGO that has been working on reducing noise pollution in the city durings
festivals.

The petition had also included curbing noise pollution by vehicles that resort to incessant honking in the city.

When the petition came up for hearing, the state filed an affidavit detailing the measures it was taking to curb noise pollution by vehicles by introducing a new act.

Advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhkoni informed the high court that the Mahrashratra Assembly had passed that act and was awaiting the assent from the president.

Elaborating on the rules, he said that section 20 of the act prohibits drivers from honking ‘needlessly or continuously or more than what is necessary to ensure safety,’ besides honking in silence zones and using multi-toned horns.

The rule also bars driving vehicles after modifying exhaust silencer, thus making it noisier.

Under section 23 of the act, the guilty would be liable to pay a penalty of Rs 2,000 for each of the contraventions.   

The state was also in the process of formulating training workshops for public transport drivers on road safety norms and rules. Taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers would be covered under it.

Noise pollution norms

Noise Pollution norms and rules as per Maharashtra Pollution Control Board based on the 2000 Act:

• No horns will be used in silence zones or during night time in residential areas except in public emergency
• Sound emitting fire crackers shall not be used in silence zones or during night time
• Noise emanating from vehicular movement shall not exceed permissible limits
• The noise level at the boundary of the public place, where loudspeaker or public address system or any other noise source is being used shall not exceed ten decibels above the ambient noise standards