Assam: Dibrugarh residents irked at excessive air horn use

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: Residents of Dibrugarh have voiced growing concern over the excessive use of high-decibel air horns by private vehicles, saying the rising noise pollution has become a serious public nuisance across the city.

Frequent and unnecessary honking has caused significant inconvenience, particularly to senior citizens, schoolchildren, patients, and other vulnerable groups. Many residents have urged authorities to take stricter action against violators to ensure a quieter and safer urban environment. Despite Dibrugarh being recognised as Assam's second city after Guwahati, citizens allege that traffic regulations are not being effectively enforced, allowing indiscriminate honking to continue unchecked.

A major hurdle in enforcing noise pollution norms is the absence of a decibel meter at the District Transport Office (DTO), making it difficult for authorities to measure vehicle noise levels and initiate legal action. "Neither the Traffic Department nor the District Transport Office has a decibel meter to check noise levels in the city. Only the Pollution Department has the equipment," an official said. Responding to the concerns, Dibrugarh District Transport Officer (DTO) Utpal Baruah maintained that the use of air horns and excessive honking is relatively uncommon in the town.

"Instances of air horn usage are very low in the Dibrugarh town area. While other states do have the problem, it is much less in Dibrugarh. We have not found much air horn usage or excessive honking in Dibrugarh," Baruah said.

However, many residents disagree with the assessment, claiming that unnecessary honking remains a persistent problem on the city's roads.

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