Bikers beware: No helmet, no fuel in Maharashtra

If you are not wearing a helmet, you won't get fuel in Maharashtra.

The State Transport Minister Diwakar Raote made the announcement in the state Assembly's monsoon session on Thursday.

"As per the recommendations of the Road Safety Committee constituted by the Supreme Court, the state is making all efforts to curtail road accidents and casualties " Raote told India Today.

The drive will be implemented immediately in the state. Wearing a helmet is mandatory for motorcycle riders in Maharashtra.

Maharashta is not the first state to crack a whip on those who don't obey the helmet rule in this manner. While some states like Kerela will implement such a rule from this August, others like West Bengal have already implemented it.

No Helmet No Petrol formula to be implemented in Kolkata

IMPRACTICAL, WILL CAUSE INCONVENIENCE?

However, the Poona Petrol Dealers Association opposed the move and termed it "impractical".

It said the move would cause "tremendous inconvenience".

"It is going to cause tremendous inconvenience to citizens of Pune and petroleum dealers....Pune city has the highest population of two-wheelers in India and due to lack of good public transport it is humanly not possible for handful of dealers to manage this huge population of two-wheelers," said the association, in a release on Thursday.

It further read that since people fill petrol only once a week on an average, this measure would not ensure that helment is worn all the time.

It is the police who should enforce the compulsory helmet rule, it added.

Ali Daruwala, the Associations' spokesperson took a dig at the government and said that if they continued in the same vein, it may even disallow sale of petrol to those who don't possess a pollution-under-control certificate or driving license.

(With inputs from PTI)

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