The Hindu Business Line : Ahmedabad comes to grips with its helmets

AHMEDABAD moves on two wheelers. It is not surprising then that the Gujarat High Court making wearing helmets mandatory should lead to a lot of confusion and discussion on the safety device.

The August 31 deadline dawned on most of the residents of the city only on the day it was to expire. Unlike earlier deadlines, this time the Court refused to grant another extension. But by then, it was too late. Some half-a- dozen shops selling helmets in the city were swamped with people queuing up, not to save their heads from a possible injury, but due to the fear of the cops who would be lurking around most corners the next day.

By afternoon, it was impossible to reach anywhere near the shops and the cops had to come in, not to catch the people without helmets, but to manage traffic jams around the shops.

Buying a helmet almost became like paying obeisance to an extremely busy deity. Enter the temple, err, shop, and walk out with whatever comes your way. The only question asked was "purush kanto stree" (man or woman). The price too was fixed, to be paid in cash. No questions to be asked about the real price of the helmet and bargaining would amount to blasphemy. The authorities were not sleeping either. Soon, the taxmen swooped on the shops and brought the party to an abrupt halt — helmets were being sold at a higher price and no bills were being issued, with the dealers pocketing killer margins.

Gujaratis cannot be faulted for their entrepreneurial spirit. Soon, rickshaw-carts were seen floating around on the city's streets, selling used helmets, several of which did not even have the straps!

Road-side vendors too made a killing and the wait time at such outlets was an hour plus. As per the law, the helmet must have ISI mark. Not a problem. Pay Rs 20 more and you can get an ISI sticker that can be pasted anywhere you choose.

The authorities could "trouble" the road-side vendors, but keeping a check on the cottage industry would be virtually impossible. So, almost every housing society had a Good Samaritan door delivering the crucial equipment to customers. Of course, it is unkind to ask for a fair price or discount or bill.

With the High Court acting tough, the Police had no option but to act and nearly 5,000 people were fined on day one itself. A section of people decided to protest against the "excesses of the police". A two-wheeler rally with people wearing cooking pans and buckets was seen going around the city even as the sheepish cops looked on. What next, a run on utensil shops?

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Ahmedabad comes to grips with its helmets