Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has declared the surrounding area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport a "silent zone".

Confirming the development, DNCC's Public Relations Officer Moqbul Hossain said the 1.5-kilometre area stretching from Scholastica School to Hotel Le Méridien (north to south) will be a "silent zone".

The decision will be effective from October 1, he added.

Following the decision, the airport area will be horn-free as no vehicles will be allowed to honk there, the DNCC official said.

On September 10, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the environment ministry, announced that the surrounding areas of the Dhaka airport will be declared a "silent zone" soon.

"Measures will be taken to make surrounding areas stretching one kilometre north and one kilometre south of the airport 'horn-free,' as no vehicles will be allowed to use horn while passing these areas from October 1," said a press release quoting Rizwana, issued in this regard on that day.