Superstar Amitabh Bachchan has voiced support to Red FM’s ongoing campaign, in association with the Mumbai Traffic Police, called, “Don’t Be Horny”. Mr. Bachchan said, “I see honking as abusing and demeaning someone. In many countries across the world, honking is seen as a form of abuse and hence, one can understand that in a city like Mumbai, there are innumerable abuses indirectly going around during traffic!” He has requested Mumbaikars to not honk, because Red FM is out to crown that person as the “horniest person” (the one who honks the most!).
Speaking about the initiative Mr. Milind Bharambe, Jt. Commissioner, Mumbai Traffic Police said, “Mumbai is world famous for a lot of things, from vada pao to Bollywood; and equally infamous for its noise pollution, the biggest contributor to which is excessive honking. Civic education and awareness, leading to self discipline, is very important to curb this. Most foreigners who come to visit are shocked at the honking levels in the city as they are not used to such rampant noise from vehicles. There is strict enforcement and penalties for incessant honking abroad- eg in New York there is a Rs.20,000 fine for unnecessary honking!” He added that most Indians tend to take rules for granted and since the fines are lesser here, they bypass them easily. He also gave an example of the Haji Ali junction in the city where lakhs of vehicles pass by every day, leading to increasing honking which has resulted in partial hearing loss of many traffic constables on patrol there. Mr. Bharambe concluded by thanking Red FM for initiating this with the Mumbai Traffic Police, and wishing them the best. He hopes that Mumbaikars appreciate and learn from this campaign.