134 challans issued in four dists of Prayagraj div
PRAYAGRAJ : As part of an ongoing offensive against aftermarket modified silencers, as many as 134 two-wheelers have been issued challans across the Prayagraj division, the officials said.
A maximum of 90 challans for this offence have been issued in the Prayagraj district alone while 27 challans have been issued in Kaushambi and 17 in the Fatehpur district. No challans have been issued for this offence in Pratapgarh district so far despite 41 tests, they added.
The officials warn that getting such modified silencers costing Rs 4000 to Rs 4500 fitted in the bikes in violation of the Motor Vehicle Act can attract a fine of up to Rs 10,000.
“People in their effort to get these bikes customised to their tastes are going for aftermarket exhaust systems and silencers. Some do it to scrape out a bit of performance while the rest just want to hear the thump even more clearly. However these aftermarket exhausts and silencers available in the market are illegal,” warn officials.
RTO (Enforcement) RK Singh informed that the information collated so far indicates that many times the modified silencers were fitted right at the agencies from where the bikes were bought. Now we are in the process of sending notices to these agencies also which are fitting these illegal silencers in the bikes,” he added.
According to section 190 (2) of the amended MV Act, causing air and noise pollution can now attract a fine of up to Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 1,000 earlier according to the old Act (1988).
Any horn or modification to the silencer that produces noise of more than 80 decibels is not allowed, officials warn.
Also, section 52 of the MV Act prohibits an owner of a motor vehicle from altering the vehicle in a way that the particulars contained in the certificate of registration are at variance with those originally specified by the manufacturer, they added.
The crackdown has started after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court in July 2021 took suo motu cognizance of noise pollution caused by modified bikes, especially bullet bikes and sought replies from officials concerned.
Automobile engineers say that role of the exhaust is a complex one and according to the strict guidelines, manufacturers take great pains to design exhaust systems and silencers. “They are designed not only to comply to sound norms but also with emission norms. Most locally made systems on the other hand are crude units and mostly free flow in nature. This means that they have no mod cons inside the pipe and as a result do not filter noise and pollutants as well as the factory fit items. So apart from making a lot of noise, they also render the bike non-compliant with the emission norms. This can invite challans,” said Ashutosh Singh, an automobile engineer working with a prominent private firm.