Bhubaneswar, July 15: The use of power horns goes on unabated at a time when several big cities across the country have banned their use.

Power horns are those that produce loud and quirky sounds and are retrofitted.

Assistant commissioner of police (traffic), Bhubaneswar, Jatin Panda said the use of power horns in Bhubaneswar was illegal but not banned.

"The use of such horns has not been banned yet, but if anyone is found using fancy, musical or repetitive horns, then traffic police initiate action against the driver and a fine of Rs 100 is imposed. The fine for repeat offence is Rs 300," he said.

The officer admitted that use of power horns has emerged as a menace.

He said: "Although the traffic police has not stressed too much on this so far, we may initiate an awareness drive on the menace of power horns in the capital city."

A large number of people are often found using power horns along the NH-5 stretch passing through Bhubaneswar and the Cuttack-Puri highway. Despite a flyover having been built on NH-5 that ends at Khandagiri, the use of power horns by public buses is rampant on the Cuttack-Puri road.

Rama Patnaik, 54, a businessman from Rasulgarh, said buses bound for Puri and Cuttack use power horns with absolute impunity.

"These horns when blown suddenly rattles motorists and often lead to accidents," he said.

The use of power horns is not limited to buses and trucks. These are also used in cars and even motorcycles. "As if rash driving was not enough, nowadays youngsters use a variety of horns on their motorcycles that can startle and confuse motorists," said Narottam Pani, 45, a state government employee from Bomikhal.

"In most cases, such motorcyclists use power horns even if there is no reason to sound it," he said.

The power horns available here can produce sounds ranging from 80 to 100 decibel. A typical variety of power horn, which is popular among motorists in the city, is Roots Vibrosonic 120db Grill Bike Horn. This variant produces an incredible 120-decibel that breaches the permissible sound level. A dealer from Rasulgarh said the use of power horns was most popular among youngsters riding motorcycles.

"A normal factory-fitted horn is replaced by motorcycle owners with more powerful ones," he said, adding repetitive or musical horns are popular among four-wheeler owners.

According to Dr A.B. Ghosh, an ENT specialist, sound beyond 80 decibel harms human beings.

"While 20 decibel is a whisper, 40 decibel is the noise in a quiet office, 60 decibel is normal conversation, 80 is the level after which sound becomes physically painful," he said, adding motorists, especially those suffering from ailments related to heart, are at risk.

He said the enforcement agencies should act fast to curb the use of power horns in the city.

"Although Bhubaneswar's noise pollution level is at 50-55 decibel, which is moderate and less as compared to other big cities, with increased use of fancy horns, the situation may get worse sooner than expected," he said.