Visakhapatnam: A majority of the cops in uniform in Vizag city did not wear helmets even months after the helmet rule coming into force. Stung by criticism from the public, traffic cops have started a crackdown on policemen for not wearing helmets at a few places in the city.
Police sources said that over 90 per cent of cops had a misguided belief that they need not follow traffic rules and they would not be fined.
Cops have been regularly violating traffic norms like over-speeding, violation of one-ways, jumping signals etc. “I was penalised for not wearing a helmet while driving my bike at Siripuram area. But the traffic police did not intercept the bike of a policeman, who was not wearing a helmet and was talking on his cell phone while riding,” said Mr A. Siva Krishna, a student of Andhra University.
Nearly 63,000 commuters have been fined for riding without helmets in 2016 and Rs 63 lakh has been recovered as fines. In 2015, 1.3 lakh riders were fined for not wearing helmets and over Rs 1.25 crore was recovered.
“We have decided to crackdown on policemen flouting the helmet rule and have started a drive to send a message that everyone has to follow the rules. The drive will continue for a few more weeks to ensure that cops too wear helmets and follow rules,” said ADCP (Traffic) K.M. Patrudu.
The city traffic police do not allow riders without helmets inside the police commissionerate and a traffic police inspector has been fined at the entry gate for not wearing a helmet.
Sources said that the cops will intensify the drive against helmet-less driving from the beginning of the New Year and are also chalking out plans to make helmets compulsory for pillion riders too.
