Nitin Gadkari wants vehicle horns to sound like tabla, flute or violin

Gadkari said that the initiative aligns with the govt's efforts to reduce noise pollution and promote eco-friendly transportation

“The hills (read roads) are alive with the sound of music,

With songs they have sung for a thousand years…”

 

These iconic lines from the title song of The Sound of Music might just become a reality on Indian roads. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said he is planning legislation that could offer relief from the harsh blare of conventional vehicle horns.

How?

By mandating that vehicle horns be replaced with the sounds of Indian musical instruments.

 

“I am planning to make a law that horns of all vehicles should be in Indian musical instruments so that it is pleasant to hear—flute, tabla, violin, harmonium,” Gadkari said, speaking at the 78th Foundation Year event of newspaper Navbharat Times.

 

 

Gadkari further said that the initiative aligns with the government’s broader efforts to reduce noise pollution and promote eco-friendly transportation. He also highlighted that the transport sector contributes to 40 per cent of India’s air pollution, reinforcing the push towards green fuels and biofuels such as methanol and ethanol.

 

It remains to be seen whether the Union Minister’s musical horn idea will bring actual relief. But the real concern lies in the adverse effects of unchecked noise pollution.

 

According to a report by the European Environment Agency, citing 2017 data, an estimated 18 million people were highly annoyed and 5 million suffered significant sleep disturbances due to long-term exposure to transport-related noise.

 

Closer to home, a 2023 survey by Mumbai-based environmental organisation Earth5R, conducted across 15 Indian cities, found that noise levels in silent and residential zones were over 50 per cent higher than the permissible 50 dB limit. One of the key contributors was road traffic noise, including car and bus horns. The report found that horn volumes typically ranged between 90 dB and 100 dB.

 

A Mint report from the same year quoted Gadkari as saying that the ministry is proposing an amendment to fix the maximum permissible noise level for vehicle horns at around 50 dB.