Colva: Modified motorcycle silencers continue to disturb residents along South Goa roads at night. Residents said they have raised concerns for years about youngsters speeding through residential areas and busy market streets on two-wheelers fitted with customised exhausts that produce loud sounds. They said the issue threatens public safety and peace.Residents allege that despite repeated oral and written complaints, enforcement has remained inconsistent.Emmanuel Antao, who said he has lodged multiple complaints over the years, said, “Fines alone will not solve the problem.” He said stringent checks of insurance and pollution under control certificates, seizure of vehicles and confiscation of illegal silencers are needed.“These bikers are not just making noise, they are endangering lives,” Antao said.He said the disturbance is particularly difficult for senior citizens, heart patients and school-going children. Locals also urged authorities to act against garages and vendors involved in selling and installing illegal modified silencers.Superintendent of police Rajendra Prabhu Dessai, said, “My concern is about the safety of vehicle users. Modified silencers are not causing fatalities; what causes death is speed and not wearing helmets,” Dessai said.Campaigners said modified silencers are often linked to aggressive and reckless riding.“Bikes fitted with modified silencers need to be driven at speed to produce that roaring sound. Interestingly, many of the bikers riding such bikes also do not wear helmets,” Antao said.The recent death of a 16-year-old in South Goa after he crashed into a car was cited by locals as a warning.“The death of a teenager has now given that warning a human face,” a resident said.
