In an attempt to ensure the much needed complete adoption of helmets by the city’s two wheeler riders, Pune police have mooted the idea of the implementing the ‘No Helmet-No Petrol’ rule in the city.
Back in 2016, the transport minister Diwakar Raote had announced this move and said that the rule would not be forced upon two-wheeler riders, but would be implemented by counselling and creating awareness.
Speaking to Pune365, Tejaswi Satpute, Deputy Commissioner of Police- Traffic, indicated that, the matter has not been discussed in detail with the Petroleum Dealers Association yet.
The implementation will be based on the response from the association and the governing regulations that may be applicable.
Nikhil Kadam, Social activist says, “The implementation on the use of helmets was mooted a few years back as well, but due to the protests, the implementation was stopped.
Now, yet again people have started protesting against helmets.”
Speaking about ‘No Helmet No Petrol’, Petrol pumps in Pune barely follow any external guidelines and moreover is it their job to make helmets compulsory?
Citizens should understand his own need for safety gear and follow it. Moreover, the government should stop taking effort if people fail to understand the need for helmets, Kadam added.
All of the other states have been following this for long now.’All the other states have been following this for long now. It is only when it comes to Maharashtra that implementation of any rule is so difficult, quips Arun Jain, Active Citizen.
It is an essential rule in a city with so many two-wheeler riders without helmets.
Yet, the possibility of this ‘no petrol’ rule getting successfully implemented in the city is very low, because people may end up using the helmet only at the pump station and remove it thereafter.
Jain adds, Since they’re going to make helmets compulsory, they should also ensure that there is easy availability of helmets and at affordable rates.
Many people have been complaining about back pain, neck pain and many are diagnosed with spondylosis after using helmets, light weight helmets should be distributed by traffic cops to the senior citizens of the city.
Helmets should be made compulsory in colleges for teachers, students and even for non-teaching staff. They should be fined not only by the police, but also penalised by the colleges too.
In the same manner, corporates should also implement this and the money collected from fines can be utilised for CSR activity, Jain added.
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#All views expressed in this article are those of the individual respondents and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.
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