Thursday, 27 July 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The transport department has launched a drive against shrill horns and defective silencers in view of the recent increase in such violations in Dehradun. The department has so far penalised over 50 vehicle owners for violations under the Motor Vehicles Act in three days, said the regional transport officer (enforcement) of Dehradun division, Shailesh Tiwari. Loud and shrill horns are proving to be the bane of residents and motorists plying the road and their numbers have slowly increased in the city over the past few months.
Besides massive trucks and cars, many two-wheeler riders are also installing custom-made horns in their bikes and scooties that usually give a sharp, shrill and alarming noise. Vehicles that are usually fitted with pressure horns, multitone or musical horns, and modified silencers usually cause unnecessary honking on roads which is among the main cause of noise pollution in Dehradun. Many locals have observed that due to the absence of any major action or penalties in recent months by authorities, many vehicle operators are using them whether it is small vehicles or trucks and buses.
Considering such complaints, the regional transport office of the Dehradun division has started a massive enforcement campaign against vehicles with shrill horns to take necessary action against culprits, said Tiwari. He said that according to Rule 119 of the Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, the use of only ISI marked electric horns in motor vehicles is permissible. Besides this, the use of a pressure horn, multitone horn or any other loud sound generating device in a motor vehicle is a punishable offence under Section 190 (2) of the MV Act 1988. If caught, authorities can impose a penalty of Rs 2,500 for the first offence and Rs 5,000 for the subsequent offences.
The driving license of the driver will also be suspended as per the law, said Tiwari. “The department imposed penalty on 829 vehicle operators in the financial year 2022-23 in the Dehradun division of RTO. We have once again started this campaign and all offenders will be caught and reprimanded as per the relevant acts,” he added.
