‘Loud’ drivers, conductors will be fined

In an effort to bring down the alarming decibel levels at the ISBTs in Delhi, authorities have decided to impose fines on drivers honking inside bus terminals and conductors soliciting passengers by way of shouting. A fine of `500 shall be levied on the driver of the bus using horn inside the premises of the ISBTs and a fine of `100 shall be collected from the conductors or Roadway staff soliciting passengers by way of shouting the destination point of bus, according to an official order.

Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (DTIDC), which maintains inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs) in the city, has issued an order enforcing the fines. There are three ISBTs — Kashmere Gate, Anand Vihar, and Sarai Kale Khan — in the national capital.

According to the DTIDC, it has been observed that noise pollution at the ISBTs in Delhi has

reached an alarming level and that immediate steps are required to address this problem.

The order, dated October 9, has been issued by DTIDC’s managing director K.K. Dahiya and states that noise pollution at the bus stands has reached dangerous levels, with loud cries of the bus staff making boarding calls contributing to it. Hence, in order to tackle the menace, the fine has been imposed, which will be collected along with the fees at the time of a bus’ departure.

The DTIDC stated it has been observed that frequent usage of horn and soliciting passengers by the roadways staff with loud noise were the major sources of noise pollution at the ISBTs. Roadways buses of several states — Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir, and Rajasthan — operate from all three ISBTs.

An average of 2,937 inter-state and 2,069 local buses operate from the three major bus stands in the national capital.

During peak hours at these stations, noise pollution levels usually go as high as 60-82 decibels, whereas the standard level in the national capital is generally 40-50 decibels.