Noise Pollution from Honking and Modified Exhausts in Residential Area

2 years ago

My house is on an 8 feet narrow minor residential road. Recently a few neighbors are passing through this lane while honking unnecessarily. Some also have modified exhausts that create extreme engine noise. This is happening multiple times throughout the day and even during night hours. Some neighbors are even driving/riding SUVs and LUVs, which are too big for the narrow lane, and sometimes scratch with my property walls thereby damaging it. Such vehicles are also causing unnecessary congestion in this road as it doesn't keep room for any other road user to pass in the other direction, thereby leading to extreme honking events causing noise pollution.

I've personally requested a few of my neighbors to avoid honking or use their horns sparingly, but they have not listened. Some even have indirectly threatened that they will honk at will, and they are doing so.

I had reported this to the local municipality, thaana, traffic and also lodged complaint with the state pollution control board, but even after 4 months nothing fruitful has been done. Municipality asked me to report it to the police. Police asked me to report it to traffic. Traffic said they have not enough man-power to monitor my area or during night hours. First, they showed ignorance of the existing laws that restrict honking in certain zones and during certain hours. Second, even when I showed them the laws, and NGT rulings, and that its and infringement on my Fundamental Right to Life (Article 21, Constitution of India), they showed no motivation to take any action against the violators. In fact they showed support for such honking as if its absolutely necessary to prevent accidents.