The Pune Traffic Branch has sent details of 2,500 Royal Enfield bullet licence holders to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Pune, seeking stringent sanctions for violating traffic rules by modifying the silencers of their respective vehicles.
According to the Pune police traffic branch, a request for temporary suspension of the driving permit for up to three months has been made and the proposal has been sent for implementation.
Between November 25, 2022, and January 31, 2023, approximately 2,500 bullet riders were apprehended and fined ₹1,000 each. As a precaution, the traffic police issued citations to the mechanics who had tampered with the silencers.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP Traffic) Vijay Kumar Magar said, “We have sent the proposal seeking suspension of 2,500 licence holders along with their licence details, address, and vehicle numbers so that a message is sent to the citizenry about the dangers of tampering with the bike silencers.”
Magar went on to say that strict action is being taken because it is illegal to modify a silencer for any bike.
“We found riders were still doing the modifications, resulting in loud and fart noises from their bikes that were disturbing the residents. We have received numerous complaints from residents and have implemented a zero-tolerance policy for noise pollution. More drives are in the pipeline, and strict action will be taken,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“We found riders were still doing the modifications, resulting in loud and fart noises from their bikes that were disturbing the residents. We have received numerous complaints from residents and have implemented a zero-tolerance policy for noise pollution. More drives are in the pipeline, and strict action will be taken,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The special drive against noise pollution of bullets was carried out at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Chowk, Bremen Chowk, Parihar Chowk, Balewadi High Street, Baner Phata, Pashan and Saikar Chowk areas. Areas like Viman Nagar, Yerawada, Koregaon Park, Kharadi and Hadapsar were also scanned for modified bullet silencers and action was against Royal Enfield owners under Sections 119 and 190 (2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, pertaining to unauthorised modifications to the vehicle, often causing a nuisance to the public.
Residents of Kalyani Nagar had complained earlier this month about many bikers riding modified bikes without silencers, causing severe noise pollution in the area. Senior citizens, children, and pets are among those most impacted by the ruckus caused by bikers in Kalyani Nagar.