Warangal traffic police crushed around 350 modified silencers seized from vehicles during a citywide enforcement drive, citing excessive noise pollution and inconvenience to residents. The seized equipment was destroyed under a road roller at Pochamma Maidan Circle on Thursday after officers found that the silencers had been altered to produce more noise than prescribed standards allow.
The operation was carried out on the direction of Warangal police commissioner N. Shwetha, IPS, and supervised by traffic additional DCP Rayala Prabhakar Rao. Traffic ACP T. Satyanarayana, inspectors and other police personnel took part in the destruction programme.
According to the traffic police, the silencers had been seized during vehicle inspections. The enforcement action focused on modified equipment fitted to vehicles in a way that increased engine noise. After the seizures, the silencers were crushed using a road roller rather than being returned to vehicle owners.
Prabhakar Rao said modified silencers contributed to excessive noise pollution and caused considerable inconvenience to the public. He identified students, elderly residents and people with health problems as groups particularly affected by loud vehicle noise.
The police advised motorists to use only the original silencers supplied by vehicle manufacturers. They also warned that legal action would be taken against vehicle owners who modify silencers to produce excessive noise.
The operation places vehicle equipment within the wider responsibility of traffic enforcement in an urban environment. While traffic policing commonly focuses on movement, road safety and vehicle documents, the Warangal action addressed how vehicle modifications affect the sound environment experienced by people living, studying and working along city roads.
The police did not provide a breakdown of the vehicles involved, the duration of the inspection campaign or the specific penalties imposed in individual cases. The report also did not state whether further drives would be conducted in other parts of Warangal.
The latest action follows the traffic police’s inspections and seizure of silencers found to have been altered in violation of prescribed standards. The department’s stated next step is continued action against motorists who use modified silencers, while urging vehicle owners to retain manufacturer-fitted equipment.