Cuttack, June 22: Marketing officer Rakesh Nayak, 31, had to order a helmet from an online shopping portal after he failed to get a headgear of choice from any retail store in the city.

"I ordered online as I could not find the right gear from retail counters," said Nayak.

Last week, police ordered the implementation of a 'No Helmet, No Petrol' rule in Cuttack and since the announcement was made, branded helmets have been flying off the shelves at most retailers. Ahead of its official introduction from July 1, shop owners have recorded a 40 per cent hike in the overall sale of helmets in the past few days.

This rush for helmets before July 1 has forced Nayak and a lot of others, mostly youngsters, to select their headgears online. Several websites have grasped the opportunity and are offering discounts as well.

Dilip Pradhan, a dealer and supplier of helmets at Mangalabag, said: "The demand for helmets has increased since the police announced the implementation of the No Helmet, No Petrol rule."

He said the overall sale stood at nearly three to four pieces a month. But now, they were selling around seven-eight pieces daily. Pradhan said the sale was likely to pick up by the end of the month.

Rashmiranjan Mohapatra, another dealer, said the sales volume would depend on the whether the police could strictly implement the rule.

"We expect further sales and have started to order helmet stocks, mostly from Andhra Pradesh and nearby states, to meet the requirement," said Mohapatra.

Senior police officials said they were also taking adequate measures to successfully implement the rule from July 1. The cops launched an awareness drive from Tuesday. They have installed billboards across all petrol pumps in the city carrying messages about the new rule.

Though the decision of the police to push for mandatory use of helmets has found a positive response with vendors, city residents are still apprehensive about the success of the new concept.

"We do not oppose the decision, but the cops should ensure that helmets are also sold as an essential accessory by automobile companies at the time of sale of a new vehicle," said Badambadi resident Sitakant Das.

Assistant commissioner of police (traffic) P.K. Dalai said they were trying to ensure that automobile companies sold helmets at the time of sale of a new vehicle.