SoBo faces the noise of racing cars; The Worli resident craves action

Noise pollution and nuisance caused by racing cars on roads is a major problem in Mumbai, especially in south Mumbai and western suburbs. Worli resident and Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) president Viren Shan lodged a complaint regarding the issue with the Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) via email on Sunday.

In the complaint, he stated, “The new coastal road is right in front of my house in Worli. I noticed that on many nights (until midnight between 22:00 and 12:00) fleets of fast racing cars and motorbikes with loud mufflers drive past regularly, creating excessive noise and disturbing the residents of houses located very close to this coastal road. Many residential properties in Worley, Napean Sea Road and Breach Candy are close to the new coastal road. The well-known Breach Candy Hospital is also right on this coastal road.”

“Such loud noise through modified mufflers is unacceptable,” he said, urging the authorities to take strong action against bikers disturbing the peace in Worli, Breach Candy and Nape Sea Road areas.

Central Government Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. provide that ambient noise should not exceed 55 dB during the day and 45 dB at night in residential areas. For quiet zones, the limits are 50 dB and 40 dB, respectively.

Meanwhile, in response to increasing complaints of reckless driving in the Western Suburbs, the Western Region Police Zone has launched a massive crackdown on violators. A special drive on the night of November 29 targeted areas such as Bandra, Khar and Andheri, resulting in the arrest of 689 drivers.

As part of the operation, the police have registered 40 cases under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for reckless driving. In addition, 162 two-wheeled vehicles were confiscated and 689 drivers were arrested. The initiative was launched following reports of reckless driving and dangerous stunts by bikers on powerful motorcycles late at night. These actions not only created danger for the bikers themselves, but also created a high risk for pedestrians and other motorists.