Road menace: Seven racing gangs in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The city’s top bike racer Iffu alias Irfan says bike racings are being organised in the city during nights. Irfan, who turned an ethical racer recently, trained Cyberabad cops to nab chain snatchers. He says that there are seven racing gangs in the city and most bikers taking part in races are not professionally trained, do not take safety precautions and are often drunk.

Some do it for the thrill while some others do it for money. Although the police is taking action that is not a deterrent. On Saturday, 17 bikers were caught near KBR Park, a hot spot for racing. Biker clubs say that building a race course in the city for bikers like the velodrome on the OU campus may end the menace.

Mohammed Irfan, 27, alias Iffu rider, a bike mechanic turned professional racer, said that there are many bike racing gangs in the city. Each gang consists of around 100 members aged between 16 and 22. “These youths are school dropouts or college freshers and do not have any knowledge about the basics of biking and safety measures. Most of them race for their friends in exchange for money,” Irfan said. What is dangerous is that none of them have driving licences.

“They do not wear safety gear and by racing on public roads they are putting others also in danger. Many of them are drunk,” said Irfan, adding that only strict law enforcement can check the menace. Bikers say that a bike racing track will be a good idea to check the racing menace. “Having a biking track will enable more youths to display their skills and will prevent them from coming  on to public roads,” Anil Varma of the Hyderabad-based Highway Nawabs bikers club said.

Racing illegal on roads: Cops

Cops say bike racing is not illegal as such but racing on public roads in illegal, as it disrupts traffic. Pointing out that constructing a bike race track could be a good option they said that it is for the government to decide that. Senior cops have told racers that they should take part in racing only after proper training and wearing safety gear. They are also asked to take up other games instead of racing.

DCP traffic A.V. Ranganath said that none of the bikers taking part in races are professionals and they do not wear safety gear. Due to this they are endangering their own lives and the lives of other road users.  “The government should take a call on this issue as it needs a lot of effort to build roads engineered for racing like the one at Chennai,” he said.

The transport department is of the opinion that depending on need, the government should ask a competent agency to work out possibilities of setting up a track. “The facilities, the agency to monitor the track and modalities should be worked out and must be implemented strictly,” a senior official from the transport department said.

Retired senior police officer B. Reddanna says that youths engaging in racing themselves should first decide whether they are doing it for thrill or to take it up as a profession. If they are doing it for thrill they should realise that it is risky for themselves and for others, he said. “If they are serious about becoming professionals, they must get trained in racing and safety measures,” he said. In addition to these, proper monitoring by parents and stringent law enforcement should also be considered to check the menace, he added. Mr Reddanna said that if the government is not ready to build a bike racing track, racing groups should lease land away from the city and build a track complying with safety norms.