The need to curb drunken driving on the highways has been felt over the years. As a result, the Supreme Court came out with a judgment in December last year that barred liquor vends within 500 metres of highways.
Looking at the ingenious means the State governments and civic bodies are resorting in order to circumvent the highway liquor ban, it can be said that the solution churned out by the highest court of the land has turned out to be worse than the malady. The seriousness of the issue, the remedial measures taken to check and control the problem and their efficacy took me back to an incident during my days in the Indian Air Force.
There was a road accident in an Air Force station in which two pilots, riding a motorcycle during rain, skidded and hit a roadside culvert. One of them died, while the other was seriously injured and was subsequently declared unfit to fly. Neither was wearing a helmet.
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It takes many years and millions of rupees to train a pilot, and in order to prevent any such avoidable losses in future, orders came from Air Headquarters that with immediate effect, no one would ride a two-wheeler without helmet, within or outside Air Force stations. The local Station Commander issued instructions to the effect. The order clearly mentioned that both the driver and the pillion-rider must wear the helmet and that strict action would be taken against any offender or offenders.
It is rightly said that habits die hard. Added to it would have been the time of the day, early in the morning, when two youngsters presumed nobody would notice; hence they dared to venture out. But things did not pan out the way they wanted. The Station Commander, while going in his vehicle, saw the motorcycle whizzing past him in the opposite direction, and the pillion rider was without a helmet.
Though he was not able to identify the officers immediately, it was not difficult for the boss to find out who the two officers involved in this ‘breach of discipline’ were.
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The Station Commander called the concerned officer’s Commanding Officer and told him: “Keep that motorcycle in your garage for 15 days. During this period, the two officers will not use any vehicle, neither two- nor four-wheeler. They are permitted to use a bicycle. And make sure both of them report to the squadron in the afternoon for organised games. Inform all the other officers that anyone giving them a lift too would be punished.”
The squadron was more than 5 km from the mess. Within a few days, the two officers, not used to cycling, had sore limbs. After just four days they had swollen thighs, and even walking became difficult. They sought an interview with the Station Commander, which was granted. Both the officers walked into his office limping physically, and when they came out even their morale was limping. The Station Commander had refused to relent on the punishment, saying: “I have been lenient. If you can suggest any milder punishment, let me know.”
The incident happened more than 40 years ago, in 1975 when helmets were unheard of in India.
The seemingly innocent punishment had such a telling effect that thereafter no one in the Air Force station ventured to sit without helmet even on a scooter that was not running and was on its stand!
The author is an aeronautical engineer who retired from the Indian Air Force as a Wing Commander. Email: aerosaby@gmail.com