Put an End to Wind Horns

The noise pollution in Guwahati has reached intolerable limits. This is largely due to the blatant use of wind horns by the owners of city buses in total violation of the law against wind horns that had been brought in about two decades ago. This is yet another instance of the total inefficacy of laws when they fail to be enforced. The authorities that have failed to put an end to wind horns probably do not have any idea of what prolonged noise pollution can do to the general health of people. It is an established fact that prolonged noise pollution can cause deafness and lead to major neurological problems of stress. The more vulnerable sections of the population are children and the aged. Unfortutely, officers in charge of traffic control in the city seem to be totally ignorant about the hazards of noise pollution and the need to cut out such pollution with drastic measures. In the case of offending city buses, all that needs to be done is to run an inspection drill for a few days where every city bus equipped with wind horns is fined a sum of Rs 10,000 or more and issued a notice that any further attempt to reinstall wind horns would lead to a permanent cancellation of operating licences. This action can be supplemented by the circulation of printed information on noise pollution and the harm it does to the inhabitants of the city. It is not difficult to understand why city bus owners can get away with any kind of offence without any pel action. After all, a large number of city buses are owned by former ministers and MLAs who regard themselves as being above the law.