Cuttack, Aug. 1: The police commissionerate here launched a drive against vehicles causing noise pollution in the city.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) K. C. Samal said drivers of more than a 100 vehicles were taken to task during the special drive. Traffic police had intercepted the vehicles by using “sound level meters” since Saturday and imposed fines.

“We are following the high court order vis-à-vis implementing traffic regulations relating to noise pollution,” the ACP told The Telegraph today.

According to the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police commissionerate traffic and public order (Regulation) 2008, a driver of a motor vehicle is prohibited from honking beyond the 10-decibel limit.

The regulation also prohibits honking unnecessarily or continuously or the use any fancy horns with repetitive sounds. Honking is also prohibited in silence zones – areas close to hospitals, court and educational institutions.

“We first started off in areas where the concentration of vehicular traffic is more and the noise pollution level is very high with 100 to 150 honks per minute between 8 am and 8 pm,” the ACP said.

The sound pollution level is apparently alarming and detrimental to health of people residing in these areas.

“Prolonged exposure to sound beyond permissible limits leads to hearing loss,” Dr Subrat Behera, professor at department of ENT, MKCG medical college hospital, Berhampore, told The Telegraph today.

“High blood pressure is another ailment due to high levels of noise,” the ENT specialist added.

The high court had fixed the permissive sound level limit at 65 decibels both in residential and commercial areas.

It had directed the state home department to provide a gadget to police stations in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar to enable them to monitor noise pollution in their respective areas, while allowing the supply of gadgets to other police stations across the state in subsequent phases.

The crackdown on violators began on Saturday evening. So far the police have scanned areas like Badambadi, Link Road, Madhupatna, Khannagar, OMP Square, Gandarpur and Sikharpur.

Traffic inspector Abani Kumar Mohanty said: “So far 51 heavy vehicles and 50 two-wheelers have been intercepted for violating noise rules. We’ve imposed fines ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 on them.”

Earlier the police commissionerate in Cuttack had launched a drive against the use of loud music during processions in the city.

The high court had imposed a ban on bands playing music above the level of 65 decibels.