Undercover cops to take action against honkers in the valley. Image Source: The Himalayan Times

Undercover Traffic Cops to Take Action against Honkers

The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) has started deploying plain clothes traffic cops to take action against honkers. Undercover traffic cops will be now on the streets of Kathmandu valley to catch and penalize motorists who are caught honking unnecessarily while driving.

MTPD in-charge, DIG Sarbendra Khanal said the move was initiated after the drivers showed little respect to the law that banned needless honking. He warned, “Undercover traffic cops will mingle with motorists and give a ticket to anyone found honking unnecessarily.” This move is expected to be effective in catching the drivers that tend to breach the traffic rules when they don’t see on-duty cops in uniform.

MTPD has imposed a ban on needless honking under Section 164 (c) of the Motor Vehicle and Transport Management Act in Kathmandu Valley with effect from April 14. The motorists seemed to respect the rule in the beginning for a few weeks, but the tendency of using horns has become rampant of late.

As per the law, “No one shall blow horn under circumstances other than invisibility of vehicles coming from the opposite direction and when there is a higher chance of an accident in the event of not blowing the horn.” The provision is applicable to all public, private, tourist and government-owned vehicles, both two-wheelers and four wheelers.

However, emergency vehicles, ambulances, fire engines and police vans/jeeps will not be obliged to follow the rule. The traffic cop may fine offenders up to NPR. 500 if they are found honking unnecessarily. Needless honking is indeed a major factor that is causing noise pollution in the Valley where more than 850, 000 vehicles ply daily.

Vehicular noise aside, high levels of sound from sawmills, furniture factories, sugarcane mills, textile or metal industries, religious ceremonies, mosques or temples using loudspeakers, and construction works also cause sound pollution.

With the new move—undercover traffic cops taking action against honkers, we hope to see drivers following the rule and stop honking unnecessarily on the roads. Do you think the new move of traffic cops going undercover will make people aware about the needless honking? Let us know through the comments.

Reference: 

The Himalayan Times