Won’t give in to pressure from leaders
Won’t give in to pressure from leaders
One day after a GR was issued making helmets mandatory for the pillion riders in two-wheelers, transport minister Diwakar Raote was flooded with requests to reconsider the implementation of the rule. Some of these requests came from cabinet minister Girish Bapat and Pune MLA Dilip Kamble, but Mr Raote remained firm on the rule.
Mr Bapat and Mr Kamble led a delegation that met Mr Raote at his official residence near Mantralaya on Sunday afternoon requesting that Pune be exempted from this rule as the city has the highest number of two-wheelers in the state. Mr Raote said that he met the leaders out of courtesy, but that the rule would still apply as it is mandated by the Centre, “I met them because they are senior leaders but I have told them that the rule will not change as it has been made by the Centre and we have merely implemented it,” said Mr Raote.
Pune has been the epicentre of the protest against the rule after the GR was issued on Saturday. Around 2,500 people rode their bike without helmets on Saturday led by BJP-Shiv Sena leaders.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray has opposed the implementation of this rule, “This is the state government’s attempt to drum up more business for helmet manufactures,” he said.
Although the law already existed under the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA), it is the first time that a GR has been issued by the state. Till this point the law was not seriously implemented.
To assure people that the rule would be implemented in all seriousness, Mr Raote has instructed the dealers to sell two helmets when selling two-wheelers to customers and has also asked all the RTOs to make sure they collect evidence from the dealers about the same. Customers have to sign separate form confirming that theyhave received two helmets, on purchase.
