Vehicle modification ban a FR violation: CMA

Warns of islandwide protest if Act is not amended

The sudden move to enforce the vehicle modification prohibition law which was inactive for a long time is a Fundamental Rights violation, the Ceylon Motorcyclists’ Association (CMA) said.

While expressing his displeasure over clause 2A of Motor Traffic Act No 8 which makes modifications done on a vehicle without the Motor Traffic Department Commissioner’s approval an offence, the CMA has requested that the Act be amended.

CMA Secretary Chirantha Amarasinghe said it is too late to enforce the Act now anyway as It is too late to enforce the Act now anyway as over 90 per cent of vehicles in the country have already been subject to some kind of modification over 90 per cent of vehicles in the country have already been subject to some kind of modification and it is not justifiable to charge a fine between Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 300,000 for the said offence under the circumstances.

Mr. Amarasinghe said this arbitrary decision by the authorities to enforce the law without any prior notice would cause much inconvenience to the public.

He also said that people modify the vehicles as a beautification measure or as a safety measure or both and it is their civic right to be able to do so and charged that the sudden move by the authorities to enforce the law was a conspiracy to make the Unity Government unpopular among the youth.

He said the CMA would launch an islandwide protest in the near future if the government does not make arrangements to amend the Act.