MUMBAI:
Senior Mumbai Police traffic wing officials on Wednesday rubbished reports in a
section of the media that said cops were planning to impose a fine of Rs 500 on
people who drove with the music on.
"There
is no such proposal,'' joint commissioner of police (traffic) Sanjay Barve said
on Wednesday. Driving in Mumbai - with or without music - was enough to drive
people crazy, officials said, and added that they had no intention of making
things worse for motorists.
"State
rules let cops slap a Rs-500 fine only for loud music and no one is penalised
unless the music is so loud as to disturb peace in a residential neighbourhood
or in a silence zone,'' a senior official said.
"FM
channels, in fact, are the lifeline for drivers and the traffic police has tied
up with these radio channels to disseminate information about traffic snarls and
one-way routes on an hourly basis ,'' Barve said.
"So
how can we penalise people for listening to these announcements?'' another
official asked. Cars with open windows and playing loud music did cause nuisance
to others, he said. "But these activities have always been restricted . There is
no restriction whatsoever to listening to music while driving ,'' he added.
Deputy
commissioner of police (traffic) Harish Baijal iterated that police had
absolutely no plan to play spoilsport for Mumbai's motorists. "We are not
planning to fine drivers Rs 500 for playing car stereos. How is playing music a
threat to life?" he asked.
"As
it is, there are so many offences that require attention, including lane-cutting
, jumping signals , speeding, rash driving and driving without helmets,'' Baijal
added. "Even I listen to regular traffic updates on FM channels while on duty,''
another senior official admitted on Wednesday. But can and do cops in Mumbai
measure decibel levels? Officials say Mumbai is not like New York where
four-wheelers are fitted with megabass audio systems that thump out over 5,000
watts of music through powerful sub-woofers .
"We
are not dealing with the kind of sound that various states in the United States
get to hear on their roads,'' a senior traffic wing official said.
Barve,
in a lighter vein, said he was "not from the audio industry' ' and it would "be
impossible to measure the decibel levels of vehicles on highways and roads where
there is heavy traffic and the ambient decibel levels in these areas are already
high any way'' .
Even
anti-noise pollution activists supported the police stand. "A complete ban on
car stereos is inconceivable ,'' admitted anti-noise pollution activist Sumaira
Abdulali.
"It
is only if stereo volumes are cranked up to full that the decibel levels would
breach rules. It may then hit 90 decibels if the windows are rolled down. Noise
pollution rules stipulate that the permissible decibel level in residential
areas at night is 45. But, if the stereo is played at normal levels with windows
rolled up, it is unlikely to cuase any disturbance or exceed limits,'' she
explained .
QUOTE
UNQUOTE
DCP
(traffic) S M Sabde says he has been misquoted by a section of the media
Sabde
knows how difficult it is for a motorist to drive in Mumbai without listening to
music. Allaying fears that cops would book motorists who listened to music while
driving (as was reported by a section of the media on Wednesday), he said: "It
is impossible and even ridiculous to implement this rule.'' State rules do allow
cops to slap a Rs-500 fine on motorists listening to music while
driving;.
But Sabde said he - and his
colleagues - knew how soothing music could be for jangled nerves while driving
in Mumbai. "We cannot ban people from listening to music,'' he said. Sabde
joined the traffic police department around five months ago and, to his
colleagues, he is a hardworking officer who wants to maintain a low profile. "We
were shocked to see him quoted as saying motorists would be stressed out if they
listened to music,'' a senior police officer said.
BUT
THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T DO WHILE DRIVING
Traffic
cops will not be hard on you as long your car stereo does not disturb your
neighbour's peace; but there are several offences that have invited a crackdown
DON'T
DRINK
You
cannot drink and drive; Mumbai Police has enforced a zero-tolerance policy to
drunk driving.
DON'T
TALK ON THE MOBILE
You
cannot talk on the phone or SMS while driving.
DON'T
SMOKE
Smoking
is a strict no-no if you are driving a car.
DON'T
HONK WITHOUT REASON
Honking
unnecessarily can land you in trouble. Do not use the horn in silence zones
(near schools, colleges, courts and hospitals). Horns that come into use when
you are backing are illegal.
WEAR
SEAT-BELT , HELMET
Keep
your seat-belt on (if you are driving a car) and wear a helmet (if you are
riding a twowheeler ).
CARRY
THESE DOCUMENTS
Carry
your driving licence, car registration and insurance papers.