PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Nainital
The district magistrate, Lalit Mohan Rayal chaired an important meeting here on Tuesday to frame a strategy to ensure compliance with the order banning the use of horns by vehicles on the entire Mall Road stretch from Tallital Danth to Mallital Rickshaw Stand. Notably, the DM had previously issued an order in this matter- exercising his powers under Rule 187 of the Uttarakhand Motor Vehicles Rules, 2011- in compliance with the orders passed by the Uttarakhand High Court. The order is slated for enforcement from August 1.
During the meeting, the DM reviewed in detail the preparations being made by the police, transport, revenue, development authority and Municipal Corporation to implement the ban.
The DM said that extensive publicity should be done to ensure that local citizens, as well as visiting tourists and outsiders, are aware of this in advance. “No horn displays, signboards and flexi boards should be installed at various locations. Additionally, awareness should be raised by placing signs at various locations to encourage visitors to maintain cleanliness, protect the environment and conserve the lake,” he said.
He further said that for implementing 100 per cent no horn zone in Mall Road, the administration needed full cooperation of local organisations. For this, he directed the sub-divisional magistrate, police circle officer and divisional transport officer to immediately hold a meeting with the local chamber of commerce, taxi association, bar association and trade unions as well as various institutions located in Nainital and take their cooperation. He also stressed on deploying the volunteers of NCC, NSS and Mera Yuva Bharat at various points along Mall Road within a week.
He instructed the SDM, Nainital to conduct an immediate survey and install CCTV cameras. “This would ensure that immediate action could be taken in the event of non-compliance,” he said.
Moreover, he directed that a massive campaign be launched from July 24 to 31 to make people aware. “Nainital is a major tourist destination in India and abroad, while Mall Road is known for its calm, natural and gentle environment. In such a situation, noise pollution caused by unnecessary honking of vehicles affects the experience of tourists. The objective of this move is to control noise pollution, promote environmental protection and provide a calm and pleasant environment to local citizens and tourists,” he said.
The district administration made it clear that from August 1, punitive action will be taken against the drivers violating the order as per the rules under the Uttarakhand Motor Vehicles Act.
