BARGARH: Bargarh Town police and its traffic wing launched a crackdown on motorcycles fitted with unauthorised modified silencers which have been causing high level of noise pollution across the town.
Police seized 17 Royal Enfield motorcycles for using modified silencers that emit noise beyond permissible limits. A total fine of Rs 75,000 was collected from the violators under provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
“From the RTO records, we identified that 25 Royal Enfield motorcycles are registered in Bargarh town. We traced those suspected of using modified silencers and seized 17 of them during the drive. Each vehicle owner has been fined Rs 5,000 for noise pollution and illegal modifications,” said SDPO P B Tripathy.
Owners have been instructed to reinstall original stock silencers to get their vehicles released from custody. While the hunt is on for the remaining identified motorcycles, the next phase of the drive will focus on similar bikes registered outside the district but being used within Bargarh, he added.
Local residents, particularly near Court Road and Hospital square expressed relief over the action.
Tribikram Mahananda, a local resident, said, “Every evening, bikers pass through this stretch with deafening noise. My shop is near the district headquarters hospital where elderly patients flinch at sudden bike roars. Children studying at home get disturbed, and senior citizens complain of panic and stress.”
Police appealed to the public to refrain from using unauthorised silencer pipes, warning that such modifications violate traffic rules and threaten public health. Officials said similar enforcement drives will continue to keep such violators in check.