ALLAHABAD: As the district administration gets ready to launch its 'no helmet, no petrol ' drive on July 20, helmet sellers in the city are making a killing as owners of two-wheelers rush to buy them.President of Allahabad Auto Parts Dealers' Association, Sushil Kharbanda, said, "There has been a surge in the sale of helmets across the city. At wholesale shops in areas like Civil Lines, Nawab Yusuf road, Rambagh and Mutthiganj the sales have gone up by 10%." He added that the move was a good initiative to ensure the safety of riders and many innocent lives could be saved by wearing helmets.Traders at prime markets selling parts of automobiles have already placed advance orders for helmets in the past three days. Shopkeepers said people were inquiring about the ISI mark helmets before making a purchase."We get helmets from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and other states. As the requirement is supposed to increase following the order, dealers are preparing to cash in on the surge in demand," Kharbanda said.However, some sellers are preferring to wait and watch and are not stocking up on helmets. These sellers would rather wait and see how effectively the 'no helmet, no petrol' drive is implemented before placing bulk orders.Pankaj, a helmet dealer based in Rambagh, said the market could witness a temporary shortage of helmets if the rule is strictly implemented. Allahabad has more than 1.5 lakh two-wheelers and hardly 30-40% of the riders wear helmets. "The traffic police department has been constantly requesting riders to wear helmets for their safety. Those who are caught riding without a helmet would be dealt with strictly and their vehicles would be seized on the spot," said a traffic sub-inspector, preferring anonymity.Allahabad district magistrate, Sanjay Kumar, said riders must understand their responsibility and wear a helmet while driving a two-wheeler. "It will save a lot of lives that are lost during road accidents," he added.The district administration will deploy teams at nine petrol pumps in Allahbad to check whether the rule is being followed at fuel stations. The traffic police department has also launched a sticker "Have you taken your helmet before starting your journey as you take your purse, mobile and other articles?"

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