Police began to check vehicles in Colombo City yesterday for vehicles fitted horns whose loudness exceeded the permitted decibel limit. Within one hour they had detected nine private buses fitted with sirens that are normally used to scare away wild elephants.

 

The vehicles had been tested using instruments that measured the decibel output of sound generators.
 

An officer said  that the purpose of this type of siren was to scare away wild elephants.
 

This programme had commenced with the official declaration of a campaign against sound pollution by Colombo Mayor A.J.M. Muzzamil .
 

The Colombo Police Traffic Division director Chula De Silva said that deterrent action would be taken against the offenders.(Jayantha Samarakoon)