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Mumbai: Dahi Handi sees spate of traffic violations

Updated on: 08 September,2023 07:53 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Shirish Vaktania | mailbag@mid-day.com

Under guise of celebrating festival, revellers are modifying bike silencers and flouting the helmet rule

Mumbai: Dahi Handi sees spate of traffic violations

Riders without helmets in Borivli

On the occasion of Dahi Handi, the Mumbai police and Traffic police have jointly launched a campaign against modified silencers that create a racket amid the festivities. This year, it was observed that a majority of Govinda Pathaks removed the silencers from their bikes to create an uproar. The nuisance caused by this started on Wednesday night and continued until late Thursday night.


Both the traffic and city police worked together to conduct a crackdown and apprehended several individuals until late on Thursday. It was also noted that these Govindas did not fear getting caught, as they were seen wearing T-shirts printed with the photos of MLAs and corporators.


How a nuisance is being created


Each Govinda Pathak team consists of at least 100-150 people, most of whom use bikes and travel in trucks. Many of these bikes have modified silencers or lack them altogether, resulting in the creation of a roar when the accelerator is pressed. This disturbs senior citizens, patients, children and even street animals.

Political angle

Many Govinda Pathak teams are sponsored by local politicians, including MLAs and corporators. These politicians also provide T-shirts to the Govindas. It was also observed that many Govindas did not fear getting caught, as they take the name of the politicians concerned whenever they were confronted.

Traffic violation

Most Govindas were seen riding three-up, without helmets on Thursday by the police. Wrong-side riding was also seen. The police took photos of the bikes in question and e-challans were issued.

Also read: Maharashtra: Fadnavis storms into Thackeray den, as Ajit enters Shinde bastion

Victim Speak

Borivli resident Kirti Kedar, who recently underwent ear surgery, was left with no choice but to approach the police about the noisy bikers in the Shimpoli area. She told mid-day, “Last week, I had surgery due to an ear problem. Doctors advised me not to use headphones and to avoid loud noises. However, on the occasion of Dahi Handi, the bikers in the area have been causing a nuisance. As a result, the pain in my ear has returned and I had to visit the doctor. We are also celebrating the festival, but not by causing a disturbance.” “The police should take action against them and seize their bikes. My son Pratik complained on Twitter with photos and videos of these bikers making loud noises, but no action has been taken,” she added.

Tweet talk

Pratik Kedar
3 to 4 bikes have removed or modified the silencers and have been creating loud noises for the past 3-4 days, causing discomfort to normal citizens as well as patients who have recently undergone ear surgery. Please look into this @MumbaiPolice @PMumbaiPolice @mieknathshinde

That Thin Guy
@MumbaiPolice why is there no regulation on motorbike silencer noise? Hundreds of bikes have been making noise since morning on the Western Express Highway today. On other days too, we hear such noise from bikes one after another.

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