Belagavi police have requested petrol pump owners to refuse to sell fuel to motorbikers without helmets. The move is likely to come into force from Wednesday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (law and order), Seema Latkar, held a meeting of petrol pump owners and managers in her office on Tuesday and urged them to spread awareness about helmet usage and safety by refusing sales.
The owners kept quiet throughout the meeting, though some expressed reservations. They felt that this idea would drastically reduce their sales. However, the DCP reassured them that the bike riders would come back to the pump with a helmet the same day or the next day. “It will work when all of you jointly decide to refuse to sell fuel to riders without helmets,” she said.
However, pump operators are not fully convinced. “We will definitely suffer losses if we implement this rule,” said an operator from Tilakwadi. “There are some pumps on the outskirts and ring roads. Most of their clients are heavy vehicles and four-wheelers. But for us inside the city, a majority of our customers are bike riders. We cannot keep quarrelling with them every day,” he said.
Police officials will visit petrol pumps starting Wednesday, to see if bike riders arrive to the pumps with helmets. Officials have been asked to speak politely to bike riders and request them to start wearing helmets and not to fine them, a senior officer said. No order has been issued by the Police Commissioner who enjoys magisterial powers in this regard, police sources said.
