‘Why only target cabbies? Tell people to stop crossing roads carelessly first’

A traffic cop hands out a pamphlet on No Honk Day drive to a taxi driver near Crawford Market on Wednesday. File pic

Cabbies in the city have strongly opposed the No Honking Day drive, saying that taxi drivers are easy targets and the police are registering offences against them.

"Roads in Mumbai are congested and the public walks about carelessly on the roads. Footpaths have been leased to hawkers by the civic body and police. Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey should issue orders to the public not to cross the roads carelessly. He is only targeting innocent taxi drivers," Mumbai Taximens' Union General Secretary Anthony L Quadros said.

"Almost all taxis are fitted with low-tone horns and taxi drivers use them only in emergencies. However, the police issue e-challans and collect fines of Rs 1,000 for the first and Rs 2,000 for the second offence," he said.

Quadros added, "Drivers whose daily income is less than Rs 300 cannot afford to pay such a huge amount in fines. Due to such problems, more than 20,000 taxi drivers have already left the taxi industry and more are on the way."

The police have designated Wednesdays for a drive to penalise motorists honking unnecessarily. The initiative is aimed at curbing noise pollution in the city, the police said.