Kathmandu, November 28

Traffic police have intensified action against needless honking in Kathmandu, taking action against 888 rule violators in the past three days.

After a gap of a few months, Metropolitan Traffic Police Division has enforced the ‘no-horn’ rule to curb increasing needless honking in the city.

Superintendent of Police Rabi Kumar Poudel said, “It is important to remind people time and again until they give up the habit of needless honking.”

As many as 43,623 persons have been booked since the introduction of rule in 2017. The number includes 598 rule violators who were booked in the past 30 days.

Of them, 9,663 were punished in the fiscal 2016-17, 15,405 in 2017-18 and 4,959 until 21 February 2019. According to MTPD, one should blow horn only in the event of invisibility of vehicles coming from the opposite direction and to avoid accidents. The ‘No-horn’ provision is applicable for all public, private, tourist and government vehicles, two-wheelers and four-wheelers. Emergency vehicles, ambulances, fire engines and police vehicles are not obliged to follow the rule.

Traffic police can fine up to Rs 500 for violating the rule.

Too much sound pollution can result in hearing loss, increased blood pressure, increased chance of heart attack, paralysis and memory loss. Mostly affected by sound pollution are sick persons, minors, senior citizens and pregnant women.

A recent release issued by the MTPD stated that traffic police have been mulling over to ban import of vehicles producing noise above the permitted level stipulated by the National Standard Related to Sound-2012.