Noida traffic police to identify silent zones, fine those honking in such areas

On Tuesday, a letter was also issued to all traffic inspectors to identify “no honking zones” in their jurisdiction

Noida traffic police will soon start issuing fines to those caught honking near hospitals and academic institutions that are designated as silent zones, police said on Wednesday, adding that such silent zones will be identified and demarcated as such soon. The traffic police will also ensure compliance with the permitted decibel (dB) levels even on roads outside the silent zones, deputy commissioner of police, traffic, Lakhan Singh Yadav, said.

Under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, drivers violating the silent zone rule can be fined ₹1,000 for the first offence and ₹2,000 for a repeat offence. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

“Honking in a silent zone is an offence as it causes unnecessary noise pollution and disturbances. Such silent zones are areas near hospitals and schools, where patients and also students require a quiet environment,” he said.

“We are making a list of such silent zones and we will put up signboards to inform commuters,” Yadav said.

“A traffic police team will also be deployed at such locations to fine vehicle owners and drivers who violate the rules,” said Yadav.

On Tuesday, a letter was also issued to all traffic inspectors to identify “no honking zones” in their jurisdiction. After preparing the list, police will place “no honking” and “silent zone” boards in these places.

Under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, drivers violating the silent zone rule can be fined ₹1,000 for the first offence and ₹2,000 for a repeat offence.

The permissible maximum sound limit for the silent zone is 50 decibels during daytime and 40 decibels at night.

Explaining the fining process, a traffic police officer said, “We issue a fine for using modified silencers on motorcycles or pressure horns on vehicles as both these devices create noise pollution . We also have equipment to measure the decibel level during surprise checks.”

In 2024, the traffic police had issued 2.8 million fines in total, of which 26,858 were issued for noise pollution in Gautam Budh Nagar.