THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The drive launched by the Police and Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) against modified vehicles is drawing flak from numerous youngsters and motor enthusiasts in the state. A social media campaign with save modification hash-tags is slowly catching up in the internet circle as youngsters threatening to boycott elections. Hundreds of motor enthusiasts are planning to meet on Sunday at all districts to protest the move of the authorities.
Tharun Surendran, a techie who works at Technopark, shared his sad experience with the police just for owning a superbike. "A casual ride on my bike turned out to be a nightmare for me. I was wearing full gear and trying to take a couple of snap with my bike near Akkulam. Suddenly, Police showed up and snatched my key and asked me to get on the police vehicle. After reaching the station, they asked for the papers, which I had. They couldn't impose a fine or anything. But I was treated like a criminal which I didn't deserve," said Mr Tharun.
The SC has recently issued an order banning the modification of vehicles in the country. An official of MVD said that as per rules no motor vehicles can be altered to deviate from what the manufacturer made and which has been used for the vehicle's registration. "The vehicle owner should get the vehicle certified by the regional transport officer to ensure that only permissible alteration is done on the vehicle," said the official.
Vishnu Pankaj, a student, complained that the traffic police just tow away the parked bikes if the number plate is slightly up than the usual position. "They pull us up for minor and ignorable things just because our bikes look different. They snatch keys from us and demand fine," said Vishnu.
According to traffic authorities, the alteration should be done with the permission of the regional transport officer.
