Vadodara: Helmets are essentially a protective gear for two-wheeler drivers. But city Congress vice-president Shailesh Amin feels they are not cool during summers .
Opposing re-starting of e-challans to traffic offenders, Amin shot off a letter to the state’s junior law minister Pradipsinh Jadeja asking him to stop the crackdown.
Amin said in his letter that the instead of providing smooth and stray cattle-free roads, the administration is focusing more on collecting penalties from citizens.
“Those not wearing helmets shouldn’t be issued e-challans. In summer heat, it becomes impossible to wear helmets and drive. Helmets also block the side vision of commuters in busy areas,” wrote Amin, an advocate by profession. He said that the government should focus on freeing roads of encroachment and stop illegal movement of heavy vehicles in the city areas
Amin said that most of the two-wheeler commuters are women, senior citizens and youngsters who would suffer the most. He added that the CCTVs should be used to catch chain-snatchers and other criminals who have been committing crimes on the city roads. Amin also alleged that those not wearing helmets are penalized but the ones committing other traffic offences are not.
Citizens including many advocates had opposed the e-challans last year too. The police that begun reissuing e-challans from Sunday, though, is determined to penalize offenders. Senior police officials said that people across the country wear helmets as it is for their own safety. “In metro cities too, people wear helmets despite heavy traffic as well as heat. We have been penalizing commuters flouting any traffic rule and it will continue,” a police official said.