Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
Dug... Dug... Dug... Phat, Phat, Phat... Nagpurians are weary of these sounds emanating from Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycles. Now, loud roaring sound of the Bullet could land riders in trouble as Traffic Control Branch of Nagpur Police has launched a special drive against such noise caused by alteration of original silencer of the popular brand of motorcycles.
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Royal Enfield Classic with Wild Boar Silencer
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The cops are not only issuing challan of Rs 3,000/- but also forcing the motorcycle-owners to change the altered or modified silencer immediately on the spot. The cops do not allow riders to ride away motorcycle from Traffic Police Stations, if modified silencer is not changed then and there.
The Bullet riders often modify silencers of their motorcycles so that it produces ‘blast’ sound that has become a ‘style statement’ among riders, especially the youth. However, this high-decibel ‘blast’ sound has become a nuisance across the city. For, it not only scares the other vehicle riders, especially senior citizens and poses risk of accidents, but also causes irritation due to high noise pollution.
Smartna Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said that the loud noise could be fun or passion for someone but it was creating noise pollution and violating Motor Vehicle Rules and Motor Vehicle Act as silencer ‘blast’ is an offence. “The original Bullet motorcycle has a decent sound of silencer. However, the users are rapidly changing the silencers to get that distinctive sound and ‘blast’ to attract attention of crowd. The trend is rising in the city and hence cops have decided to curb the menace,” DCP Patil told ‘The Hitavada’.
So far, Traffic Police have fined 69 Bullet riders. Action has been taken against them under Section 184 (rash driving) of Motor Vehicle Act, and Section 52/191 (alteration of motor vehicle in contravention of Act) of Motor Vehicle Act (MVA). They have been fined Rs 1,000/- under Section 184, and Rs 2,000/- under Section 52/191 of MVA.
According to statistics, Traffic Branch (West) has booked 33 Bullet riders, MIDC branch has booked 18, East branch has booked 11, and Indora branch has booked seven riders.
A representative of Royal Enfield said that original silencer of the motorcycle has a decent sound and Traffic Police or Regional Transport Officer (RTO) have no objection over it. However, the users are changing the silencer in market to get noisy sound which is not permissible, he added.
According to sources, names of ‘non-stock’ (procured from sources other than the company) silencers are Punjab, Long Bottle, Short Bottle, Wild Boar, Goldstar, Falcon, Monster Megaphone etc. Many shops in the city are selling these silencers for a price anywhere between Rs 5,000/- and Rs 15,000/-.
According to technical experts, any modification/alteration of silencer affects performance of the engine of the popular Bullet motorcycle, its shelf-life, wear and tear, and efficiency. Silencer is being fitted with the motorcycle to silence the engine exhaust sound. The silencers have tubes/pathways specifically designed to suppress the sound coming from the exhaust pipe. The company-fitted silencer has a catalytic converter that can reduce emission of certain pollutants. One of the side effects of using ‘non-stock’ silencer is that the twisted path creates pressure inside the muffler that thrusts on to the engine, affecting its performance.
As per the Government norms, modifying/altering silencer of the bike is an offence. Customers are changing it after buying the bike, with an intention to get that distinctive high-decibel sound that has become a ‘style statement’ among youths. The cops are catching individuals for the offence but time has come to book the sellers and distributors of ‘non-stock’ silencers.
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