Nagpur: Fines and enforcement alone cannot curb the persistent problem of noise pollution caused by vehicles, Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court observed on Tuesday, directing traffic police to come up with concrete and effective preventive measures to stop such violations.A division bench comprising Justices Urmila Joshi-Phalke and Nivedita Mehta was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Bhupendra Wasnik, along with petitions taken up suo motu by the court on the issue.The court’s observations came after traffic police submitted an affidavit detailing enforcement measures undertaken over the past two-and-a-half years. The police said they had acted against vehicles fitted with unauthorised modified silencers, particularly motorcycles such as Bullets, as well as vehicles using horns continuously, unnecessarily or at excessive volume.In 2025, police seized 440 modified silencers. These were removed with the assistance of mechanics, where necessary, and the vehicles were restored to their original configuration. The seized silencers were subsequently destroyed to prevent their reuse, the police informed the court.The affidavit also recorded 1,515 enforcement actions for noise-related violations between 2024 and July 2026, resulting in fines totalling ₹10.27 lakh. In 2024, 568 actions resulted in ₹3.46 lakh in fines, in 2025, 693 actions yielded ₹5.28 lakh, and up to July 2026, 255 actions resulted in ₹1.53 lakh.The court, however, indicated that the scale of enforcement should not be measured merely by the number of cases or the amount collected. It stressed the need to examine measures that could prevent vehicles from repeatedly creating excessive noise, rather than relying primarily on penalties after violations occur.The traffic police have also made a WhatsApp helpline, ‘Traffic Mitra’, available at 8976897698 for citizens to report violations.In previous hearings, the court also widened the scope of the PIL to include noise pollution generated at construction sites. The petitioner’s lawyer sought details of the statutory framework governing construction noise, including permissible working hours and applicable regulatory safeguards. The bench directed the state government to place before it the relevant rules, guidelines and the mechanism in place for regulating noise pollution arising from construction activities.#Key takeaways:HC said fines alone are insufficient to curb vehicular noise pollution.Traffic police have been directed to propose concrete preventive measures.The court was hearing a PIL and suo motu proceedings on noise pollution.Police reported 1,515 noise-related enforcement actions since 2024.₹10.27 lakh was collected in fines between 2024 and July 2026.Police seized 440 unauthorised modified silencers in 2025.Seized silencers were destroyed to prevent their reuse.Police also act against unnecessary or excessively loud horn use.Citizens can report violations through the ‘Traffic Mitra’ WhatsApp helpline — 8976897698.
