Scant regard for helmet rule in twin-cities
TIMES NEWS NETWORK - M L Kapur
5 Dec, 2006 2311hrs IST
HUBLI: More than a month after wearing of helmets for twowheeler riders was made compulsory in the state, people of Hubli-Dharwad seem to have rejected it contemptuously after showing some signs of compliance initially.
Even as people were reluctant to follow the rule despite it being in their own interests, the state government had no option but to enforce it after repeated postponements as it was mandated by a high court order.
The fence-sitters in the twincities were relieved when chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and home minister M P Prakash sent wrong signals during the Chamundeshwari assembly byelection campaign that the rule would be reviewed.
Though no order abrogating the enforcement of the rule has been issued, two-wheeler riders in the twin cities have presumed on the basis of media reports that the rule has been put in abeyance till further directions.
The net result is that today almost all two-wheeler riders can be seen riding without helmets in the twin cities. Even those who had purchased helmets thinking that the government was serious about enforcing it this time, are not wearing them.
Half of a miniscule percentage of those who are wearing it were doing so even before the rule came into force. Gauging the public mood, even the local police have dropped their campaign agains violators after enforcing the rule enthusiastically in the initial days.
Despite medical studies indicating that most deaths in road accidents were due to head injuries, those bent upon not following the helmet rule are imputing strange motives to the government's decision to make helmets mandatory.
A residents' association in Hubli has come out with a survey of its own indicating that as many as 95 per cent of the 4,000 respondents, including college students, were against the rule. Just sample some of the other findings of the survey done by Walwekar Plot Residents' Association: "Advantages to government: helmet manufacturers making crores of rupees, additional income to ministers involved."
Disadvantages to public include: "health problems such as headache and loss of hair (hair style hassles in case of girls). It encourages chain snatching, hitand-run cases and acid attacks!" So what is the remedy suggested by RWA president K D Kanakgeri? "It is better to leave it to the pubic. It is their head and their headache," he says, adding that, "all creature have to depart one or the other day."
But city police commissioner Narayan Nadamani maintained that the rule is in force and it is being implemented. "I can provide you figures about the number of people booked for violating the rule and the amount of fine collected," he said.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK - M L Kapur
5 Dec, 2006 2311hrs IST
HUBLI: More than a month after wearing of helmets for twowheeler riders was made compulsory in the state, people of Hubli-Dharwad seem to have rejected it contemptuously after showing some signs of compliance initially.
Even as people were reluctant to follow the rule despite it being in their own interests, the state government had no option but to enforce it after repeated postponements as it was mandated by a high court order.
The fence-sitters in the twincities were relieved when chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and home minister M P Prakash sent wrong signals during the Chamundeshwari assembly byelection campaign that the rule would be reviewed.
Though no order abrogating the enforcement of the rule has been issued, two-wheeler riders in the twin cities have presumed on the basis of media reports that the rule has been put in abeyance till further directions.
The net result is that today almost all two-wheeler riders can be seen riding without helmets in the twin cities. Even those who had purchased helmets thinking that the government was serious about enforcing it this time, are not wearing them.
Half of a miniscule percentage of those who are wearing it were doing so even before the rule came into force. Gauging the public mood, even the local police have dropped their campaign agains violators after enforcing the rule enthusiastically in the initial days.
Despite medical studies indicating that most deaths in road accidents were due to head injuries, those bent upon not following the helmet rule are imputing strange motives to the government's decision to make helmets mandatory.
A residents' association in Hubli has come out with a survey of its own indicating that as many as 95 per cent of the 4,000 respondents, including college students, were against the rule. Just sample some of the other findings of the survey done by Walwekar Plot Residents' Association: "Advantages to government: helmet manufacturers making crores of rupees, additional income to ministers involved."
Disadvantages to public include: "health problems such as headache and loss of hair (hair style hassles in case of girls). It encourages chain snatching, hitand-run cases and acid attacks!" So what is the remedy suggested by RWA president K D Kanakgeri? "It is better to leave it to the pubic. It is their head and their headache," he says, adding that, "all creature have to depart one or the other day."
But city police commissioner Narayan Nadamani maintained that the rule is in force and it is being implemented. "I can provide you figures about the number of people booked for violating the rule and the amount of fine collected," he said.
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