Over 3,000 Mumbai motorists fined on ‘No Honking Day’

It was cacophony as usual on Mumbai roads on Monday and over 3,000 motorists were fined in four hours for honking despite it being ‘No Honking Day’. “Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., 3,061 motorists were fined for not following no-honking rules,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Shahaji Solunke said.

He said that people were fined Rs.100 for honking without reason and Rs.500 for excessive honking.

Sumaira Abdulali, head of voluntary organisation Awaaz that is part of the ‘No Honking’ initiative, said there were mixed reactions to the unique drive supported by Mumbai Police. “In high traffic areas of south Mumbai like Byculla and VT, there was hardly any difference and drivers continued to honk as usual,” she said.



But in a few places like Bandra, where volunteers were active in creating awareness, the campaign was quite successful, Sumaira said.

The campaign, first of its kind in India, aimed at creating awareness about the social and health ill-effects of honking and noise pollution.

Mumbai Police and other agencies distributed over 100,000 no-honking stickers in English, Hindi and Marathi to vehicles owners, including two-wheelers, cars, taxis and autos.