Our Bureau/

Parents as well as the teachers of Shamvi (8) a student in a local school here were puzzled with the sudden change of her behavior. She was not responding his teachers in the class and also her parents at home.

“She never answered us but when we used to speak loudly, she replied us,” was the common complain of her teachers and parent. But when she was checked up by local doctors they detected that the girl lost hearing capacity mainly due to rising noise pollution, disclosed Kundan Kumar, father of the pretty looking girl.

Like Shamvi, a large number of people in this ancient silk city became deaf as they developed hearing problems mainly due to noise pollution and also for excessive use of mobile phones. Dr Barun Thakur, HoD, ENT department at local J L N M C hospital which recently celebrated World Noise Awareness Day on April 25 last, also acknowledge the fact that large number of patients started pouring his department with hearing problems. According to him daily 5-6 new patients with hearing problems came to the ENT department in the hospital. “Most the patients hold pressure horns in the vehicles responsible for their problems,” he pointed out.

According to Dr Thakur, a human ear system could resists up to 110 decibel but high noising items like pressure horns  of vehicle and DJ music system which is more than 250 decibel are very dangerous for human beings. The speakers like Dr SP Singh, Dr R C Mandal, superintendent, JLNMC hospital and others at the World Noise Awareness Day function pointed out different side effects besides damage of hearing capacity, increasing blood pressure, irritation in behavior, depression due to noise pollutions.

“We to some extent control the DJ music system on roads after Nathnagar incident of March 17 but using pressure horns in the vehicles are really matter of concern here. Teenaged boys mostly enjoying such pressure horns here. I have instructed my men to keep watch on them and do the lawful action against such nuisances,” earlier narrated  Manoj Kumar  the than senior superintendent of police here.

Motor vehicle inspector, Bhagalpur Gautam Kumar said that under section 190/2  motor vehicle act, it is completely prohibited to apply pressure horns in light vehicles including two wheelers and fine up to Rs 1000 is applicable for violation of the act. Many shopkeepers of auto spare parts here disclosed that most of the purchasers of such pressure horns are the young boys in 17-25 age groups. They also disclosed that such pressure horns which generally made in China, available in Rs 1100-1300 in local markets.

“Change of behavior pattern particularly in teenagers is matter of concern. But the guardian of the boys are equally responsible; they first allow their wards to rode in two wheelers even in their tender ages and secondly they provides them the money to purchase such dangerous sound pollution devices,” pointed out Ratna Mukherjee, former HoD,  faculty of psychology at TMB University here.