PUNE: Police commissioner
K Venkatesham announced here on Thursday that his department will strictly implement the rule for mandatory use of helmets by two-wheeler users in the city from January 1.
“We cannot continue with a situation where people are losing their lives almost every other day for not wearing helmets while riding two-wheelers,” Venkatesham said while interacting with editors of newspapers in the city.
“From January 1, we will come down heavily on those violating the rule,” he said.
Asked why the police would wait till January 1 for implementing a rule that is already in existence and has been endorsed by the Supreme Court several times, Venkatesham said, “We are giving a lead time so that people are prepared to follow the rule and there are fewer arguments over the use of the protective head gear. People will have to buy helmets and we will approach the (
helmet) manufacturers as well.”
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The police chief said 211 people have so far died in fatal road accidents this year. “In 2017, we registered 195 deaths because of road accidents. The situation has to change. In the last two days, there have been three deaths. In one case, a 65-year-old man lost his life. In another, the mother of a five-month-old child died and the third case involved the death of a young boy on Baner road,” he said.
Action plan
The police chief said the law, as of now, provides for a spontaneous fine of Rs200 for the helmet rule violation. “There is a false assumption that a violator, once fined and issued a challan, can show it at all junctions for the following 24 hours and keep flouting the rule for the day. We won’t let this happen. We will issue challan to such persons at every junction,” he said.
“As an alternative, we will impound the vehicle and ask the violator to go home, come back with helmet and take away the vehicle,” Venkatesham added.
COPS Hub
The police commissioner said within a fortnight, police will launch a new initiative, Community Oriented Police Service (COPS) Hub, for resolving issues faced by women, children, the elderly and students towards resolving problems such as harassment and domestic unrest.
“The hub won’t work as a convention police station, but will resolve issues and function as a facilitator in providing counselling, ensuring legal help and protection for the victims of domestic violence and helping resolve domestic quarrels,” he said. For now, the police have zeroed in on two locations near Sangam bridge and in
Yerawada for the facility.