Following the direction of Uttarakhand High Court to enforce mandatory wearing of helmet by pillion rider, Dehradun police launched a drive and imposed challans on around 200 traffic violators on Wednesday.
However, with the direction from senior police officers, police stopped imposing challans on pillion riders afternoon and were engaged in raising awareness among the bike riders instead about the High Court’s order about the same.
Meanwhile, despite the dissemination of High Court’ order through print and electronic media, few pillion riders in the city were seen wearing helmet. Even some of them were seen arguing with the traffic police and city police unit members who had imposed challans on them in the State capital. Dehradun SP Traffic Pradeep Kumar Rai said,
“We have launched drives and enforced challans on pillion riders who were found without helmet on, but with the direction from senior police officers, after 12 pm, traffic police were directed to create awareness among the bike riders about High Court’s order making helmet wearing mandatory for the pillion riders. Police had imposed challan on around 200 pillion riders by 12 pm on Wednesday. In the coming few days, police will not impose challans but will warn the pillion riders found without helmet on. State Director General of Police BS Sidhu said, “We have not received the copy of High Court order yet that purportedly ruled for the pillion riders donning helmets. Though, police can impose challan on such pillion riders under section 129 of Motor Vehicle (MV) Act, police have been directed to create awareness about the rules among the people and to warn those pillion riders found with no helmet on for some days. “High Court’s order will be implemented strictly, he added.
Observers opined that it is good that the High Court has taken the initiative to impose penalty on the pillion riders with no helmet on. This has come at a time when road accidents are on the rise and in most of these cases, pillion riders have died. However, on the flipside of things, following the High Court’s order, no bike driver would give lift to the pass-goers, including old men and women and needy persons.
Meanwhile, taking view of the people’s outrage over forcing challans on pillion riders by police without raising awareness about the High Court’s order, Rajpur MlA Rajkumar met the Chief Minister Harish Rawat and discussed the same with him, it is learnt.