NGT bans pressure horns in the national capital

Unhindered use of pressure horns is a source of serious noise pollution, the National Green Tribunal today said while imposing ban on on them in all vehicles in the national capital.
"Vehicles using pressure horns and two wheelers which have removed their silencers shall not be permitted to ply on the roads in the national capital," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said while issuing notice to Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on the issue.
"Pressure horns must come to an end. Noise pollution arising from horns in the vehicles is a major issue. Undue and unhindered use of horns by drivers and pressure horns by trucks is a source of serious noise pollution in Delhi.

"It is adversely affecting the noise level in Delhi and even sound of vehicles particularly DTC buses. All authorities need to pay attention to this aspect before noise levels go to the extent which is irreparable," the bench said while noting that noise barriers installed at different points in the city were in damaged condition.
The tribunal also constituted a committee comprising officials from Environment Ministry, Delhi government, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Delhi Development Authority to identify silence zones in the city and asked it to file a detailed affidavit stating a list of such places to control the "menace".

The tribunal had earlier asked asked Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland, which supply buses to Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), why these vehicles caused noise pollution on roads and directed them to submit details, including their designs.
It had flayed DTC for running its air-conditioned buses without passengers for a major part of the day and directed it to carry out a study to bring base line data, rationalisation of bus routes and details about maintenance of DTC buses "which is not farce".