Visakhapatnam flyover turns venue for illegal races

Visakhapatnam: Bike racing gangs are finding new places for illegal races to evade the police: The 1.5-km Telugu Talli flyover near Asilmetta is one of them.
Not only weekends but also on weekdays bikers race their bikes at night.
Often the bikers are under the influence of alcohol.

A senior police officer with the traffic wing said that the flyover, which connects Asilmetta Junction and Railway DRM Office, comes under three police stations limits.

The bikers are cashing in on the jurisdiction dispute over deployment of police.
ADCP (Traffic) K. Mahendra Patrudu said that the police had identified over 15 places, including beach road stretch and NH-16 stretch between Zoo Park and PM Palem and few other places where illegal bike racings take place and has deployed teams to check them.

But youngsters are finding new places where the police vigil is low.  “We are chalking out plans to identify the new venues and check the dangerous practice,” he said.  

Racing is also one of the ways to make money for some students of engineering and management colleges and employees of software and BPOs.

There were few incidents where girls have participated in the races and have been injured but the organisers have managed to hoodwink the police.

The dangerous stunts of the racers trouble other road users, said Arvinda Kumar G, resident of Vishalakshinagar.