12 e-bikes with illegal alterations confiscated by RTO

Experts from the government engineering college to examine the e-bikes

Aurangabad, May 25:

The officials of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) on Wednesday confiscated 12 e-bikes in connection with illegal alterations. Five of these e-bikes will be handed over to the Government Engineering College for inspection. The bikes were found to be running at 55 kmph despite a speed limit of 25 kmph and capacity of less than 250 watts.

incidents of e-bikes catching fire were reported in the past few months. Taking note, the transport commissioner had observed that illegal changes in the bikes were causing such incidents. Therefore, a crackdown has been launched on manufacturers, distributors and users of such vehicles in Aurangabad and other parts of the State. On May 23 and 24, a team from the RTO inspected 12 vendors and 39 e-bikes running on the road. Primary investigations have revealed that the 12 e-bikes have more capacity than the mentioned limits. All vehicles were seized and five will be sent to the engineering college for further inspection. Under the Motor Vehicle Act, direct criminal charges are ordered if unauthorized alterations are found.

Such is the situation

E-bikes with capacity of less than 250 watts and speed limit 25 kmph are exempted from registration. Some automakers are selling e-bikes without a certificate from a recognized institution, while others are illegally modifying vehicles. Therefore, it is being speculated that the speed of vehicles may increase and contribute to the accident.

Action after report

The seized e-bikes will be investigated by the experts. The report will be submitted to the senior office. Further action will be taken thereafter, said Sanjay Metrewar, RTO.