Cops start cracking whip on helmetless pillion-riders in Mangaluru, Udupi

Mangaluru, Feb 1: The state treasury may get richer by lakhs of rupees with the police swooping down on helmet-less pillion riders across the state including coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

Thanks to the new law, which makes helmets mandatory for pillion riders, traffic police in Mangaluru, other parts of Dakshina Kannada district and Udupi booked hundreds of violators within few hours after the law came into force in the region on February 1.

Though the rule was clamped Karnataka on January 12 the police in coastal districts many other parts of the state started levying fine on violators from Monday. In Bengaluru, the cops started strictly implementing the rules from January 21.

Mangaluru Police Commissioner M Chandra Sekhar said that the police had given time till January 31 and created awareness among the general pubic about the need to wear helmets. The rule is now strictly being implemented, he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Crime) Sanjeev M. Patil said Rs. 100 fine would be imposed on the offending rider. As the traffic police are equipped with Blackberry devices to record traffic violations and issue chalans, it would be easy to find out repeat offenders. Repeat offenders would be dealt with as per the Supreme Court directive.

A traffic police constable indicated that many officers would not leave the rider alone after imposing Rs. 100 fine for violating the helmet rule.

The officers would also charge the offender with another offence — negligent riding — and impose an addtional fine of Rs. 300, with a view to deter recurrence of such practices, he said.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police S.D. Sharanappa said that the district police are geared up to enforce the rule. In the last three weeks, the police conducted awareness programmes in the respective police station jurisdictions.