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A pillion-rider without helmet on a city road on Friday. (Animesh Sengupta)
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If you thought you could ignore helmet safety because you are riding pillion, think again.
In an unprecedented move, the East Singhbhum district police have decided to impose spot fines of Rs 200 not just on bikers without helmets, but also their equally reckless companions.
The special drive, which begins on Monday in all the five traffic police station areas — Jugsalai, Bistupur, Sakchi, Mango and Golmuri, was prodded by a written directive from state transport secretary Shailender Singh Meena on Friday evening.
The directive reached the motor vehicles office at the district collectorate around 5pm. It said wearing of ISI-marked helmets would become mandatory across the state for not only a biker, but also the pillion-rider with immediate effect.
Thereafter, district motor vehicles inspector (MVI) Awdesh Kumar went into a huddle with traffic top brass and decided to crack down on pillion-riders without helmets.
“The directive has been issued in the light of Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which makes helmets meeting ISI specifications mandatory for both biker and pillion-rider. We will issue notices to traffic police stations across the city on Saturday and start the checking drive from Monday,” Kumar said.
Sangeeta Sharma, a resident of Circuit House Area, welcomed the decision. “It is better late than never. So many lives are lost because people ignore road rules. The crackdown is a good thing to ensure safety of bikers and pillion-riders. The helmet rule is followed in all metros and I do not see why it cannot be followed in the city,” she said.
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