58,000 bikers challaned, helmet prices surge in Lahore
A lot of people have lauded the effort, while others say it is a way to mint money
PHOTO: INP/FILE
LAHORE:
The City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL), in just five days, has issued over 58,066 tickets to motorcyclists riding without helmets on different roads of Lahore. The campaign to crackdown on helmetless motorcyclists kicked off on September 24.
The CTPL has also announced a crackdown against vehicles that produce smoke. At least 10,153 challans were issued to motorcyclists on Mall Road alone. The campaign has received a mixed response from citizens. At the same time, the prices of helmets surged in the city after the crackdown.
The CTPL issued challans to 8,009 underage drivers and 18,081 for one-way violation. Parents of 657 underage drivers submitted security bonds. Chief Traffic Police Officer (CTO) Liaqat Ali Malik said they were ensuring the compliance of court orders.
He said it was encouraging to see that 95% of the motorcyclists had started using helmets. He added that the police was also sensitising transporters about smog. They would start a crackdown against smoke-emitting vehicles, including motorcycles, rickshaws and buses.
Right after the CTPL launched the campaign, the prices of helmets saw a hike in the market. A helmet that was being sold between Rs400 and Rs500 jumped up to between Rs1,000 and Rs1,500. Authorities seemed helpless in controlling the prices.
The CTO also wrote a letter to the transport and the industries departments over the violation of helmet laws and the sale of substandard gear in market.
“On the directives of the honourable Lahore High Court, this unit started to take action against motorcyclists riding without helmets. However, after the initiation of action against helmet violations, complaints from different forums of society are being received to the undersigned (CTO) that retailers are selling substandard helmets at very high prices in the market due to which the aim to avoid head injury in an accident cannot be achieved.”
The CTO requested the secretaries to direct price control magistrates and inspectors of the industries and transport enforcement wing to take action against the production and sale of substandard helmets.
A lot of people have lauded the effort, while others condemned the crackdown and termed it an effort to favour the “helmet mafia”. Some went as far as to say that it was an effort to mint money from the public.
Zeeshan Ahmad, a commuter, said the surge in fines for traffic violations and the launch of a crackdown, without prior propagation, raised questions about the whole practice. He said he was a labourer and Rs1,000 meant a lot to him. “It is the amount spent on my whole family over the course of a day,” he added. He said police should have launched a sensitisation campaign for at least two weeks to warn commuters to wear helmets. “If citizens had been informed earlier, many would have bought helmets and the issue of soaring prices could have been avoided,” he claimed.
Yasir Bukhari, a local, said if a person could afford a motorcycle worth Rs50,000, he or she should buy a helmet for Rs500. He said that human life was priceless and the crackdown was justified. He urged CTPL to intensify its operation.
The City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL), in just five days, has issued over 58,066 tickets to motorcyclists riding without helmets on different roads of Lahore. The campaign to crackdown on helmetless motorcyclists kicked off on September 24.
The CTPL has also announced a crackdown against vehicles that produce smoke. At least 10,153 challans were issued to motorcyclists on Mall Road alone. The campaign has received a mixed response from citizens. At the same time, the prices of helmets surged in the city after the crackdown.
The CTPL issued challans to 8,009 underage drivers and 18,081 for one-way violation. Parents of 657 underage drivers submitted security bonds. Chief Traffic Police Officer (CTO) Liaqat Ali Malik said they were ensuring the compliance of court orders.
He said it was encouraging to see that 95% of the motorcyclists had started using helmets. He added that the police was also sensitising transporters about smog. They would start a crackdown against smoke-emitting vehicles, including motorcycles, rickshaws and buses.
Right after the CTPL launched the campaign, the prices of helmets saw a hike in the market. A helmet that was being sold between Rs400 and Rs500 jumped up to between Rs1,000 and Rs1,500. Authorities seemed helpless in controlling the prices.
The CTO also wrote a letter to the transport and the industries departments over the violation of helmet laws and the sale of substandard gear in market.
“On the directives of the honourable Lahore High Court, this unit started to take action against motorcyclists riding without helmets. However, after the initiation of action against helmet violations, complaints from different forums of society are being received to the undersigned (CTO) that retailers are selling substandard helmets at very high prices in the market due to which the aim to avoid head injury in an accident cannot be achieved.”
The CTO requested the secretaries to direct price control magistrates and inspectors of the industries and transport enforcement wing to take action against the production and sale of substandard helmets.
A lot of people have lauded the effort, while others condemned the crackdown and termed it an effort to favour the “helmet mafia”. Some went as far as to say that it was an effort to mint money from the public.
Zeeshan Ahmad, a commuter, said the surge in fines for traffic violations and the launch of a crackdown, without prior propagation, raised questions about the whole practice. He said he was a labourer and Rs1,000 meant a lot to him. “It is the amount spent on my whole family over the course of a day,” he added. He said police should have launched a sensitisation campaign for at least two weeks to warn commuters to wear helmets. “If citizens had been informed earlier, many would have bought helmets and the issue of soaring prices could have been avoided,” he claimed.
Yasir Bukhari, a local, said if a person could afford a motorcycle worth Rs50,000, he or she should buy a helmet for Rs500. He said that human life was priceless and the crackdown was justified. He urged CTPL to intensify its operation.