Helmet check drive mops up Rs 7 lakh

Patna: The transport department carried out its helmet checking drive in all 38 districts of Bihar on Saturday in which 3,390 vehicles were checked and a total fine of Rs 7,64,400 was collected.

Officials of the district administration and the transport department have been put into service to carry on the drive.

Transport secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said: “The helmet checking drive is continuous and I will ensure that people get into the habit of wearing helmets across the state. The drive was started last Saturday in which 3,200 vehicles were caught and fine of Rs 4.8 lakh was collected.

Purnea tops the list of violators where 147 people were fined followed by Patna (89), Muzaffarpur (85), Nalanda (83) and Bhagalpur (77). The district where the least number of people were fined were Sheohar (11) followed by Chhapra (19) and Samastipur (21).

Agarwal said: “People have this perception that helmet checking is only done in the state capital and not in any other districts but accidents occur in every district and in many cases people were found not wearing the helmet which could have saved their life. I wonder why people need to pay fines for saving their own lives. After all it is the people who gets the benefit.”

The culture of wearing helmet and seatbelts is not there in Bihar but ever since the drive has started, people have started taking it seriously and it was evident as sales of helmets have increased manifold in the past three months.

A shopkeeper who sells helmet on Bhattacharya Road, Munna Kumur, said: “Earlier, we used to sell around 20 to 30 helmets a day which is now 50 to 60 helmets a day. It proves that people are wearing helmets. If the drive continues, the day is not far when every rider will wear helmets and people will have safe journeys.”

Agarwal ensured that the drive will not stop and would carry on till the department is satisfied that people have got into the habit of wearing helmets. As a department secretary, he has appealed all district magistrates and superintendents of police to ensure that there should not be any laxity in the helmet checking drive.

Courtesy: The Telegraph