Impressed with Mumbai police's 'punishing signal' initiative, Telangana's Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao is keen to replicate this in Hyderabad to deal with the honking menace.
"Let's get this done in our Hyderabad too. Need of the hour," the minister asked top officials with a re-tweet of Mumbai police's video.
KTR, as the minister is popularly known, tagged Telangana Director General of Police, Hyderabad Police Commissioner and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner.
Let’s get this done in our Hyderabad too. Need of the hour @TelanganaDGP @CPHydCity @CommissionrGHMC https://t.co/uqjmgYpJXs
— KTR (@KTRTRS) January 31, 2020
As motorists in Mumbai honk even at traffic signals, Mumbai police introduced what is called 'punishing signals'. They connected decibel meters to a few signal poles. "If the decibel levels went over 85 dB, the signal would reset and stay red for longer," says the Mumbai police video.
"Honk more wait more' and 'Feel free to honk if you don't mind waiting' are the taglines of Mumbai police's campaign.
Netizens welcomed the proposal by KTR, who is the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. They hoped the move would go a long way in curbing the menace of unnecessary honking.
However, there were suggestions for him to first focus on improving the road conditions, providing road-over-bridges for pedestrians, ensure proper functioning of the signals and tackle the problem of parking.
Not everyone was impressed. Responding to KTR's tweet, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said, "This is a primitive way of punishing the entire traffic at a traffic signal because of few cars honking. The GHMC Commissioner and Hyderabad Traffic Police should sanction new traffic signals which they have stopped. Money collected through fines or challan is not being used. Road widening has stopped."
This is a primitive way of punishing entire traffic at a traffic signal because of few cars honking, @CommissionrGHMC @HYDTP should sanction new traffic signals which they have stopped, money collected through fines or challan is not being used, road widening has stopped https://t.co/60jB1eiWEp
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 31, 2020
IANS inputs