Racing resumes, as cops go slow on checking

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The illegal activity of drag racing among high-speed motor bike riders, that has been causing much trouble to other motorists and pedestrians on the Kowdiar-Vellayambalam stretch in the city, has surfaced again.  On Sunday, a daredevil stunt performed by an unidentified youth on his motorbike in an irresponsible way put the lives of an  elderly couple, who were in a car behind him, in danger.  The couple, 58-year-old Ramachandran and his 50-year-old-wife Sheela, suffered injuries after the former, who was driving the car, in an attempt to save the rider, swerved the car to one side and eventually rammed it into a tree on the roadside.The Ambassador Grande car that they drove too was severely damaged in the accident.  The youth was allegedly participating in an illegal race with other riders when the mishap occurred. Ramachandran and Sheela, residing at Peringamala, were on their way to their daughter’s house at Peroorkada when the incident occurred.‘’We saw several costly-looking bikes speeding along on both sides of the road. When our vehicle reached Kowdiar Junction, a bike overtook us in full speed and suddenly applied the brakes. I steered to the left in order to avoid a collision, but lost control and rammed the car into a tree on the footpath,’’ said Ramachandran.He also said that by the time he was back to his senses, the bike was gone. There were several other bikers present there, who sped away after witnessing the accident. The couple later went to the Traffic Police Station at Pattom and reported the matter.  Despite implementing stringent measures, the police have not been able to put an end to the dangerous activity that has been rampant on the road. Surveillance cameras are installed at both ends of the stretch. The camera unit installed at the Kowdiar end of the road even has a radar camera that captures the images of vehicles that break speed limits. The offenders are being booked regularly too. But this has not helped in curbing the menace.  A senior police officer attached to the City Police Control Room said that the youths who engage in  this dangerous race are aware of the present situation.‘’They very well know that the police have reduced the intensity of on-road vehicle-checking following a mishap that led to the death of a man in the area a few days ago,’’ he said, referring to the public outrage against the policemen then, alleging them of murder.  The youths, who had been lying low for several months following strict action from the police, might have found the situation a perfect time to resurface, the officer added.