Rajkot: In a decisive crackdown on the nuisance of motorcyclists using illegal ear-splitting exhausts, city police destroyed as many as 350 silencers from motorcycles seized over their 10-day drive against noise pollution.
The penchant for showmanship by installing ear-splitting exhausts poses a major nuisance to other people.
On Thursday, a bulldozer ran over 350 such modified silencers from the vehicles seized on Race Course Ring Road, Kalavad Road, University Road, 150 ft Ring Road, and the Rajkot-Jamnagar highway.
Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Puja Yadav said earlier the offenders were only fined, but it was observed that some motorcyclists continued to violate the rules even after paying penalties. “To address this issue permanently, silencers not fitted by the manufacturer were removed and destroyed,” she said.
During the operation, the police acted on opinions from RTO officials and representatives of vehicle manufacturers.
Ketan Khaped, an RTO official, said vehicle registrations are based on original manufacturer specifications under the Motor Vehicles Act. Some vehicle owners, however, add aftermarket accessories that violate these norms and cause inconvenience to the public. “Such vehicles are now being detained and the unauthorized modifications are removed. Violators are also fined under the MV Act,” he said.
Khaped further said future investigations would target vendors selling such illegal accessories, as these modifications not only disrupt the peace but also breach traffic regulations.