TIRUPUR: In the wake of the Tamil Nadu government mulling the implementation of the amended Motor Vehicles Act, the police across the State seem to have become more stringent with levying fines for every offence in the book. Along those lines, a garment company owner in Tirupur was fined for not wearing a helmet. Only here, the man was in a car. 

M Selvakumar (42) of NRK Puram was surprised when he received an SMS about a fine for Rs100 on Tuesday. The link mentioned in the message had all details about the fine -- pillion rider of a motorcycle without protective gear (helmet). It identified the vehicle with the registration number, declared under Tirupur (RTO-North). However, the registration number is that of a car.

The fine seems to have been imposed on the day Selvakumar was returning to Tirupur city from Pongalur with his family -- in a car. “How can I be booked for not wearing a helmet while driving a car?” asks Selvakumar, who is planning to send the details of the letter to RTO (North) to explain his case.

An official from the Tirupur (North) regional transport office clarified that the fine is a clerical error. “It is believed that the correct offence or correct vehicle number was not selected from the drop-down menu, when the fine was issued. We believe it is not a deliberate error and that the officer concerned should have been more careful. There is no mismanagement.

This error is rectifiable,” the official explained. An official from the police department (Dharapuram) reiterated the same and said that it is understandable that e-Challans can be issued for the wrong person by mistake. The department is ready to help the motorist cancel the fine.