Noise pollution and nuisance caused by racing cars on roads are serious issues in Mumbai, especially in South Mumbai and the Western Suburbs. A Worli resident and President of the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) Viren Shan filed a complaint about this issue with the Joint Commissioner of Mumbai police (traffic) via email on Sunday.
He stated in the complaint, “A new coastal road is right in front of my building in Worli. I have noticed, for many nights (before midnight between 10pm and 12am), fleets of fast racing cars and bikes with loud mufflers are regularly passing by, creating excessive noise and disturbing the residents of buildings very close to this coastal road. Many residential buildings in Worli, Napean Sea Road, and Breach Candy are close to the new coastal road. A well-known Breach Candy Hospital is also right on this coastal road.”
“Such loud noise through modified mufflers is not allowed,” he said, urging the authorities to take strong action against the bikers who are disturbing the peace in Worli, Breach Candy, and Napean Sea Road neighbourhoods.
The Central government’s Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, mandate that ambient noise should not exceed 55 dB during the daytime and 45 dB during nighttime in residential areas. For silence zones, the limits are 50 dB and 40 dB, respectively.
Meanwhile, in response to increasing complaints of reckless driving in the western suburbs, the West Region police zone has launched a major crackdown on offenders. A special drive conducted on the night of November 29 targeted areas such as Bandra, Khar, and Andheri, resulting in action against 689 drivers.
As part of the operation, the police registered 40 cases under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for reckless driving. Additionally, 162 two-wheelers were seized, and action was taken against 689 drivers under the Motor Vehicle Act. The initiative was launched following reports of reckless driving and dangerous stunts by bikers on high-powered motorcycles during late-night hours. These activities not only endangered the bikers themselves but also posed a high risk to pedestrians and other motorists.
