‘Laws are not enough, action must be taken’

Mumbai: Does a change in law change ground reality? Kurla resident Prajakta K is sceptical. “Laws on paper are one thing, reality is another,” she says, referring to a recent amendment in Motor Vehicles Act to increase penalty for honking.
Fines for traffic offences, including honking, will be hiked. The government has proposed to fine motorists Rs 1,000 for honking, up from Rs 500 now.
The amendment got cabinet approval during the monsoon session of the Parliament, but it has not been introduced yet.
“The honking menace is at its worst in residential complexes along highways,” says Prajakta (34) whose building is located in Kurla along the Eastern Express Highway. “It’s difficult to get a good night’s sleep,” she says. “Why can’t the rules be amended such that trucks and heavy vehicles are made to stop honking in cities? A solution is to ban horns altogether. They are anyway meant to be used only during an emergency.”
Prajakta’s view is echoed by a Navi Mumbai resident who travels to Bandra everyday for work. “Amended laws alone won’t bring about much change. What’s required is taking action against people using shrill horns but that does not seem to be the traffic police’s priority,” says this resident. “Awareness and discipline need to be inculcated among motorists. And that’s easier said than done.”
A lawyer who practises in south Mumbai says higher penalty would not prove to be much of a deterrent.
“Let’s be practical; maximum honking takes place when motorists are caught in traffic jams. At that time, the priority for traffic police is to clear the roads. How do we expect them to prosecute motorists for using fancy horns?” asks the lawyer.
Most citizens, though, said more than a law, self-discipline and civic sense are what are required. A senior citizen from Mahim says, “The motorist is often comfortably ensconced in an AC car and unaware of how honking disturbs the world outside.”