Locals demand action, saying illegally modified motorbikes create a racket in pre-dawn hours every weekend; Marine Drive residents told mid-day they have been enduring this nuisance for the past few years despite complaining repeatedly to the authorities
Screen grabs of videos shot by Marine Drive residents of illegal motorcycle racing; A seized motorcycle that was abandoned by a biker amid a police crackdown at Marine Drive on Sunday
Youngsters on expensive super bikes and illegally modified motorcycles often indulge in stunts and racing at Queen’s Necklace, especially during pre-dawn hours on the weekend, creating a racket that disturbs the sleep of residents, according to the Marine Drive Citizens Association.
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Marine Drive residents told mid-day they have been enduring this nuisance for the past few years despite complaining repeatedly to the authorities.
“The majority of citizens in the area are elderly people whose sleep is always disturbed because of the noise pollution created by these bikers,” said Ashok Gupta, vice-president of the Marine Drive Citizens Association.
“Around 3.45 am, a group of motorcyclists reached near my building, disturbing my sleep. My ailing father was resting, but as the bikers crossed the gymkhana area, we were suddenly subjected to extremely loud noise. These bikers have no regard for the law; they jump traffic signals, ride without helmets, perform dangerous stunts like wheelies and engage in reckless racing at Marine Drive,” said a 48-year-old businessman Siddharth Daftary, who made a few videos of these racers in his phone.
‘Why aren’t police acting?’
“These bikers are a menace, especially on the weekend and stay in the promenade for at least one-to-two hours. They can be easily caught, but the traffic police officials remain till 12.30 am to meet their targets by slapping fines on traffic violators such as car owner. But they are doing nothing to stop the biker menace,”
Daftary said.
“I wonder why these noise polluters are not caught by the police? Car owners are often slapped with fines if they overspeed or violate other rules. How these bike racers are left scot-free?” he added.
Another resident, Suresh Chhabria, said, “The police officials can easily track down bikers who create noise and indulge in dangerous stunts or racing. If CCTV cameras are capturing them, they should have been arrested by now. But if they are not caught, it means the cops are being lenient towards these noise polluters. If CCTV cameras are not working properly and don’t capture number plates, the home department should consider replacing or upgrading them. Why the delay?”
CopSpeak
A number of CCTV cameras are in place to capture the erring road users on the Marine Drive stretch, but the registration numbers of their motorcycles are often not captured. “Either the alpha-numeric digits are too small, LED lights are fixed on the number plates or bikers ride at a very high speed due to which the cameras fail to capture the clear images,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.
Meanwhile, the senior inspector of Marine Drive police station Nilesh Bagul, said, “We are being vigilant. After we learnt about racing at Marine Drive, police officers started to chase the bikers on Sunday. Though many of them managed to escape, one biker could not evade the nakabandi. Panicking, he abandoned his motorcycle on the road, crossed the divider and rushed towards Marine Lines railway station.”
“We have confiscated the motorcycle and with the help of the registration number we will nab the biker and crackdown on the gang. Our investigations are underway,” he added.
Sources in the police department told mid-day that most of the racers hail from Pune, Kalyan and the central suburbs of Mumbai.
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