According to the study, over 75 per cent of traffic constables in the city are suffering noise-induced hearing loss. The figures are unlikely to be different elsewhere in the country.

Venkat Reddy, a traffic constable in the city, regulates traffic at a junction, a stone's throw from the Chief Minister's residence in Hyderabad.

Being constantly exposed to a cacophony of traffic noise for the last five years has left Reddy virtually deaf to variations in decibel levels.

"I have been in traffic for 5 years and now with increasing traffic I don't hear properly," said Reddy.

Alarming numbers

A new study on 1,500 traffic policemen in the city has thrown up alarming statistics that three in every four men on duty on the city's roads suffer from noise-induced hearing loss. The city police is worried and is trying to limit the damage.

"The problem is true and we are trying to find a solution. A new type of ear device and also the new recruits will be posted in traffic only for two years in order to avoid exposure of high decibel sounds," said A K Khan, Additional Commissioner, Traffic, Hyderabad.

The Supreme Court's directive on Tuesday to stop vehicular honking in residential areas between 10 p.m. (IST) and 6 a.m. (IST) should give some respite at least after peak traffic hours.

From NDTV.com