Tough to enforce no-helmet no-petrol rule, admit officials

Visakhapatnam: Though Chief Minister N Chandrababu introduced ‘no-helmet no-petrol’ in the state from September-end, the scheme seemed to be put on the backburner for the moment with the officials from both Road Transport Authority and police still finding ways to convince the petrol bunk owners and the two-wheelers to fall in line.

Vizag city has more than four lakh two-wheelers and only half of them are seen wearing the helmets, admitted deputy commissioner of police (DCP) K Mahendra Patrudu.

“We understand that given the situation it would be tough for the police personnel on beat to insist the bunk owners to deny petrol to those who approach them without helmet. We will intensify the drive on the helmet use, the only possible way to make them wear the gear as we cannot impose on the private bunk owners,” he said.

The DCP said due to the last year’s special drive, the use of helmets almost touched 85 per cent but it came down to 50 per cent during the 10 months of this year. The district administration said that a total of 175 petrol pumps are under operation in the region and they sell around six lakh litre petrol daily. The number of two-wheelers in Vizag city has been increasing and the number has touched to 4.5 lakh.

Deputy Commissioner of Road Transport Authority , S Venkateswara Rao said all the two wheeler owners have helmets as the government had made it mandatory to purchase helmet along the vehicle from the showrooms.

“The problem is half of them do not wear them, particularly the women claiming discomfort during peak summer and humid weather that follows the monsoons,’’ Venkateswara Rao said.

He told this correspondent here on Monday that a meeting is being convened by the district collector soon with the petrol bunk owners and NGOs to create awareness among the public as well as police personnel and bunk employees.

DCP Mahendra Patrudu admitted that they cannot insist on the bunk owners who claimed that the sales personnel would not deny fuel to the students who are in a hurry and those attending patients in the hospital.

The situation will also lead to emergence of another trade agency which will hire helmets to the vehicle owners sitting not far from the petrol bunks and make some easy money. “We have to make it a peoples movement involving the NGOs and students in a big way,” he added.

A senior police officer said the onus is on the bunk owners. They have to come forward and take lead in denying the petrol to those asking for petrol without wearing a helmet. He cited success of no-helmet no petrol scheme in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in Odisha, Chattisgarh capital Raipur and Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal.

By KMP Patnaik