KOCHI: Election fever is not the only febrility that has affected the city. Since the past two weeks, 'Operation Freaken', a drive launched by the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) to seize modified vehicles has taken over, much to the fury of automobile enthusiasts who have now refused to participate in the upcoming polls as a sign of their protest. To express their dissent, they took to the streets in the city on Sunday albeit were driven away by police.
The drive has come on the close heels of the Supreme Court ruling in January 2019 which states vehicles registered under Section 52(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act must strictly adhere to the original specifications of the manufacturer.
Led by Enforcement RTO Manoj Kumar, 'Operation Freaken' is gaining momentum at a consistent speed, with the capture of around 65 vehicles owners of cars, SUVs, and two-wheelers. Despite citing safety and public nuisance as imperatives to catch the offenders, modified vehicle owners claim the ruling to be ambiguous and proclaimed without much research.
"The MVD is harassing most owners of modified cars and demanding them to be turned back into stock vehicles. Claims that modified vehicles are a threat to the public are baseless. As a community, we modify our respective vehicles to increase the performance of the engine or increase ride quality," said Evan Thomas, owner of four modified bikes.
"The most common modification on a four-wheeler is remapping which changes the stock map of the car to provide more power and mileage than originally intended. Upsizing wheels is another alteration. This improves grip. I do agree that people do go overboard with alterations but the number is few," he said.
With the presence of 'Freaken', enthusiasts are also in a muddle as to what can be considered an offense. "There are no clear cut guidelines as to what can and cannot be done. People are not obliged to drive a stock car. The Amendment made suits the requirements of trucks and state carriers. But they've implemented the same for private vehicles," said Abdul Muneem, who owns car accessories shops in Kochi and Thrissur. Muneem mentioned a pivotal point - closure of car accessory shops. "This ruling also affects my livelihood. There are around 1,200 car accessory shops in Kerala. If modification is considered a crime, then all of us are criminals," he said.
Modified vehicle enthusiasts could never communicate their problems due to the lack of an accepted body, said Kevin Philipose, president of the Modified Federation of Kerala, a group currently underway to attain legal establishment and registration.
"We are against loud noise and exhaust pipes- largely cited reasons. But modifying is an art. And we are for safety without being an obstacle to the public. We are willing to pay a certain amount as yearly fees for our altered vehicles. But the MVD officials refuse to give permission. Social media is replete with pictures of modified cars and bikes. Officials track down the featured vehicle's number and fine the owner. For the past four-five months, car accessories shops have mentioned the dwindling number of cars," said Kevin, who also owns a car accessories shop and a modified cars' club.
Vehicle aficionados assert snorkels, suspension lifts and fog lights help the vehicle in different terrains.
"Modified vehicles played a huge role in the floods. Albeit, there has to be a holistic approach rather than a blanket ban on modified vehicles. The modifications made could be purely for functional purposes, instead of show, which can be a public nuisance," said Jos, an automobile enthusiast.
"The ruling has to be made more clear. What happens to people who convert existing engines to electric ones? What about the custom vehicles-building industry?," he questioned.
Ernakulam RTO Jojy P Jose sticks to the abiding rules. "The strict drive will continue. They are given 15 days' notice period to regain the vehicle back to its unmodified state. Else, the registration certificate will be cancelled. Any kind of modification is against the ruling," he said.
