Loud honking to attract fines at ISBTs

AAP govt’s bid to curb noise pollution

Shouting and loud honking at Inter-State Bus Terminals (ISBTs) will attract fines from errant drivers. This has been announced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in a bid to bring down alarming levels of noise pollution at such locations in the Capital.

According to a senior government official, the authorities concerned have decided to impose fines on drivers honking inside bus terminals and conductors soliciting passengers by way of shouting.

Penalty for conductors

“A fine of ₹500 shall be levied on the driver of the bus using a horn inside the premises of the ISBTs and a fine of ₹100 shall be charged on conductors, or roadway staff, soliciting passengers by way of shouting the destination point of bus,” said the official quoting an official order.

The Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTIDC), which maintains interstate bus terminals in the Capital, has issued an order enforcing the fines at Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan ISBTs.

Alarming level

According to the DTIDC, the order came in the wake of observations that noise pollution at ISBTs in Delhi had reached “an alarming level” necessitating immediate steps to address the problem.

The DTIDC stated it had been observed that frequent usage of horn and soliciting of passengers by roadways staff with loud noise were the major sources of noise pollution at ISBTs.

Roadways buses of several States which include Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan operate from all the three ISBTs in the National Capital.