Bikers roar across Hyderabad with modified silencers

Despite organising special drives to curb noise pollution, they are creating problems for people

Hyderabad: Despite the traffic police taking up special drives to curb the noise pollution cause by modified silencers particulars of motorcycles and high end bikes, the problem continues unabated in the city.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of motorcycles fitted with modified silencers are moving in the city creating problems for the people in particular the senior citizens, patients, infants and those in need of rest within the privacy of their homes.

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“Situation is horrible during the night. At dead of a night from somewhere a bullet fitted with modified silencers zooms past the streets in colony and disturbs the sleep of families,” complained Mohd Fazal, a senior citizen from Mehdipatnam.

Mohd Sultan, a resident of Falaknuma complained that it has become a trend for youngsters to come on the road with motorcycles having altered silencers move around post-midnight. “It might be a thing of pride for the motorcycle owners. But the problems caused by such behaviour for other residents are being ignored by the youth or their parents who fail to counsel them,” complained Sultan.

N Roshni Rao, a psychologist said mental peace is a crucial part of our emotional and intellectual health. “The constant barrage of high-decibel sounds forces our bodies to release stress hormones, leading to feelings of anxiety, irritability, and sleep disruptions. For children, the noise makes it hard for them to concentrate, leading to struggles with focus, poorer academic performance, and slower cognitive development. Over time, this constant noise exposure can contribute to attention disorders and emotional instability,” she said.

The traffic police officials, however point out that special drivers are organised across the city and cases booked against the owners of the motorcycles for using the modified silencers. “Any specific complaints can be made at the local police station including Law & Order and action will be initiated,” said an official of Hyderabad City Police.

The citizens demand the police higher ups take up a rigorous drive against such violators by roping the law and order patrolling teams to curb it. “When special drives are conducted the vehicles owners use lanes and by-lanes or prefer to move around during the night when traffic police is away from the roads,” complaint Arvind Singh, a resident of Mangalhat.

 

A noisy nightmare

As per the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, police can take action against bikes which produce noise level of above 80 decibels

HEALTH PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SOUND POLLUTION

PHYSICAL: Respiratory agitation, racing pulse, high blood pressure, headaches and, in case of extremely loud, constant noise, gastritis, colitis and even heart attacks. Noise can cause attacks of stress, fatigue, depression, anxiety and hysteria in both humans and animals

SLEEP AND BEHAVIOURAL DISORDERS: Noise above 45 dB stops you from falling asleep or sleeping properly. Loud noise can have latent effects on our behaviour, causing aggressive behaviour and irritability

MEMORY AND CONCENTRATION: Noise may affect people’s ability to focus, which can lead to low performance over time. It is also bad for the memory, making it hard to study