Create awareness among people for success of helmet rule, Ramadoss tells TN govt

CHENNAI: A day after the Madras high court directed the Tamil Nadu government to strictly enforce its order making helmets mandatory for all two-wheelers riders, PMK leader S Ramadoss said the state should try to create awareness among citizens for the success of the helmet rule.
“The government should engage in information, education and communication activities and act to change the behaviour pattern of citizens, rather than trying to be punitive, to ensure the success of the helmet programme,” Ramadoss said in a statement.
Recalling the court’s 2007 order, he said the rule still remains in paper. “It has become a recurrent story that the government asks police to enforce the helmet rule strictly and then forgets the order after a couple of weeks,” he said.
“When the AIADMK came to power in 2011, police started taking action against those not wearing helmets. This was dropped after a couple of days,” he said.
Ramadoss also discussed the reasons on the improper implementation of the rule. “There are a couple of reasons why helmet rule could not be implemented successfully in the state. There are some inconveniences in wearing helmet, particularly for women,” he said.
“Apart from this, a section of the Tamil Nadu police see the helmet rule as an opportunity to fleece two-wheeler riders,” Ramadoss alleged.
It is also said that the government will have to face the wrath of the people if the rule is strictly implemented, and vote bank politics is another major reason for non-implementation. “Steps like prohibiting smoking in public places, making wearing of helmet compulsory are lifesaving public health initiatives. But they are not enforced due to the short-sightedness of rulers,” Ramadoss said.
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