Puducherry CM stages PROTEST over compulsory helmet rule, MLAs break helmets

Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi recently passed an order which mandates the use of helmet for two wheeler riders. This has been done in view of the life saving prospects of a helmet during accidents. However, this has not gone down well with many others politicians. Puducherry Chief Minister, V Narayanaswamy, has staged a protest in front of L-G Kiran Bedi’s residence along with his ministers. The protesters have blacked the entrance of the L-G residence too.

They demand that the recent order that mandates helmets for people on two-wheelers should be not implemented in such a hasty manner and that the police should go slow over its implementation. The CM further accused Bedi of interfering in day-to-day activities of the government, which he says is causing great inconvenience to the people. According to the CM,

She is behaving like a police constable for implementing the order of wearing compulsory helmets for two wheelers by standing on the road and she is pulling the motorists, which is causing the inconvenience to the public. The government agrees that everyone should wear helmets but it should be implemented in slow manner and not in a single day. Lieutenant governor is not acting according to the position she occupies

Protests against the order have been going on ever since the it was passed. Later on, the protesters even took to violence. In another incident, a video circulated across various web platforms that showed MLAs smashing helmets to express their anger during protests.

This did not go down well with L-G Kiran Bedi too, who took it to Twitter in order to express herself. She wrote:

Lawmakers or breakers in Puducherry? These elected representatives are agitating against helmet wearing law enforcement. Will they take responsibility for past & future deaths on road caused by head injuries? They are committing contempt of Supreme Court & Madras HC judgments too,

https://twitter.com/thekiranbedi/status/1095260876280520704

The Puducherry CM had last week asked the police to go slow on enforcing the helmet rule and asked them to implement it in a phased manner. To this, Kiran Bedi again took to twitter in order to express herself. She wrote:

Who does not know that wearing a helmet is in their interest? This enforcement has been obstructed by the CM since last year. Every time enforcement picks courage the CM obstructs. While a scooterist dies every third day on the roads of Puducherry.

Whatever turns out to be the outcome of this embroilment, the life saving aspect of helmets is something that can’t be ignored. Though they can get a bit uncomfortable during hot summers but that is still better than having a serious head injury in case of an accidents. Helmets have proven tome after time to be life saving safety device and for the same, they are mandatory in many parts of the world.

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