Pressure horns continue to irritate Patiala residents

Patiala, October 10

Pressure horns continue to give a headache to residents. Many complaints are made, and rules are framed; however, the implementation has been unsatisfactory. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has put a ban on the manufacture, sale, purchase, and use of pressure horns, but transporters, including truckers and bus owners, continue to flout the rules.

The PPCB has warned that vehicles fitted with power, pressure, or musical horns that make a sharp, shrill, and alarming noise will be challaned and confiscated. “Traffic junctions have no rules on permissible sound levels for honking or vehicular noise. Vehicles on highways emit noise as high as 100 decibels to 10 hertz—equal to the noise levels of a rock concert,” said PPCB officials.

“This is above the safe limit suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which cautions that long-term exposure to noise levels of around 85 dB to 90 dB can lead to hearing loss,” they added.

The district transport office and the traffic police have failed to enforce ban orders on the use of pressure horns, especially in the vicinity of schools and hospitals.

Police said that they’ll soon be launching a challan drive to check the menace.