2nd Public event + Press Conference

Official press release

Noise pollution in our cities and towns, especially in Bangalore is increasing at such a rate that it has become a major public health hazard and a major threat to quality of life.

Noise created by vehicles is the most disturbing, especially that produced by heavy goods transport vehicles, autorickshaws and two wheelers.

This release will focus on two issues:

1. The ear splitting noise created by a majority of autorickshaws & some two wheelers running with defective exhaust silencers & 2. Indiscriminate honking by all types of vehicle.

This NOISE shatters the PEACE of Bangalore. The impact it has is huge- the noise aggravates road rage & aggression and causes a myriad of health problems. Bangalore is going DEAF. If nothing is done the situation will only get worse. We are creating the possibility of returning PEACE and QUIET to our garden city.

Autorickshaws: The majority of the approximately 70,000 autos running in Bangalore have their silencers tampered with under a mistaken impression that it will improve the ‘Mileage’. This nerve wracking nuisance starts early in the morning and continues well into the late hours of the night. Several ‘HIGH SPIRITED’ youth & Autorickshaw drivers remove the silencers from their motor bikes and drive rashly to attract attention, be “Road Rajas” and show off their bravado. We want to make auto drivers aware of the damage they are causing to their health and consequently to their lives. They spend 8 hrs, atleast, in their autorickshaws and in open vehicles, they do not have the option to shut out the noise.

Professor. M.L.Munjal, Head of the Dept of Mechanical Engineering at the prestigious INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE and a renowned scientist in noise control has opined that removal of silencers in auto rickshaws DOES NOT increase mileage and that this is a MYTH (ref: “Silencers for Autorickshaws” a study by “Working Group on Silencers for Autorickshaws constituted by the Karnataka State Council for Science & Technology”). His research also shows that measurements of sound pressure level in decibels at the drivers’ ears indicated 85-90 at part throttle and 90-95 at full throttle. With such high noise levels a large majority of drivers would become hard of hearing with a permanent auditory threshold shift and that if we have to reduce the risk of ‘hearing handicaps’, the noise exposure level must NOT exceed 80 dB. The public cannot afford to risk being driven by drivers with hearing problems as it could lead to accidents.

Honking does not help you reach your destination faster. Many goods transport vehicles, water tankers and school vans have multi blow horns which blast peoples’ears! We also have a sizeable population of ‘Horatio Horn blowers’ who can drive only by blowing the horns! Indiscriminate Honking leads to irritation so people reach their destinations and workplaces in an aggressive, disturbed state of mind. The noise makes it difficult to concentrate on one’s work or study for exams. It is a major disturbance to schools and to the sick in hospitals who are trying to recover from trauma of illness & surgeries.

Health Effects: It has been well documented including one report by WHO that loud, persistent and unpleasant noise has several bad effects on human health. It causes ringing in the ears (Tinnitus) leading to temporary and later to permanent deafness. Noise beyond a certain level causes increase in blood pressure (hypertension), digestive disorders, heart ailments and psychological and psychiatric disorders leading to uncontrolled violence.

No one is immune to these bad effects. At highest risk are the auto drivers and bike riders themselves, pedestrians, general public and last, but not the least, the traffic policeman who have to endure this man created nuisance. Auto drivers must realize the damage they are causing to their own health. They should not deny themselves the joy of hearing their favourite sounds e.g. music or the voices of their children and loved ones !

We appeal to all Auto drivers and 2 wheeler owners to FIX your SILENCERS: Save your own health and that of Bangalore’s residents. Motorists, before you HONK, ask if it’s essential and AVOID it if you can.

Unfortunately, successive governments have not paid any heed to the very urgent need to control noise pollution. Though the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 (sec 20,21(j),41,68,68.1,70,91 and 111) empowers a state government to frame rules and implement them for the upkeep of motor vehicles and control of noise produced by them, PRACTICALLY NOTHING HAS BEEN IN THIS DIRECTION.

With Bangalore’s traffic doubling every five years and almost 1500 vehicles added every day to the 30 lakh vehicles already on the road, traffic noise pollution has to be strictly controlled.

The most important and urgent noise pollution to be done away with is that created by autorickshaws without functional silencers. THE DRIVERS DO NOT REALISE THAT THEY ARE THE ONES MOST AFFECTED BY CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO THE SHATTERING NOISE.

MISSION PEACE ASKS THE GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER AND ADOPT THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND SANITY.

* Make compliance to noise regulations a part of fitness certificate issuance

* Like emission checks, make noise check mandatory and periodical.

* Provide hand held noise meters to the RTO and Traffic police force

* Give up soft governance and instead enforce steps to stop auto rickshaw noise nuisance by hefty fines or confiscation of the offending vehicle till the silencer is fixed

MISSION PEACE SINCERELY HOPES THE GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE URGENT STEPS TO CURB THE AUTORICKSHAW NOISE MENACE. Bangalore is amongst the worst offenders. Other cities, e.g. Bombay and Delhi, do not have such noisy Autorickshaws.

Mission Peace- STOP the NOISE is a community participatory project on Noise Pollution in Bangalore. It has been started by a group of public spirited men and women from various professions. Justice Michael F. Saldanha (retired judge of the Karnataka High Court) and Dr.Thomas Chandy of HOSMAT Hospital are also associated with this endeavour.

The group is creating the possibility of Peace and good Health and Caring in this city-by autos fixing their silencers and motorists caring about the next person & not honking at traffic lights and silent zones. Let us bring back the joy of silence. We invite you to join this project. Details of this project can be found at http://missionpeaceblr.blogspot.com/. Sign up for a Silent Bangalore at this site.