CUTTACK: The 'No Helmet, No Petrol' drive, which was launched by the commissionerate police in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar in 2016, has remained just a catchy slogan. Petrol pumps across the two cities have been giving fuel to customers not wearing a helmet."Customers threaten us. They say if you don't fill petrol, another petrol pump will do so readily. We started losing customers because of this drive. We have to serve people to retain our business," said a petrol pump owner, requesting anonymity.As part of the drive, which is aimed at encouraging people to wear helmets, banners were put up across petrol pumps. The rule says petrol will not be given to two-wheeler riders who don't have a helmet. Many petrol pumps even installed CCTV cameras as per the instruction of commssionerate police but most of the cameras have fallen to disrepair thanks to lack of inspection.Some petrol pumps even bought helmets to hand over to customers. In this way, they sought to avoid detection and the spectre of poor business. "In several fuel stations, the staff provides helmets to customers before they fill their tanks. While exiting the station, customers deposit the helmets to another set of workers," sources said."In the initial days, the rule was being strictly enforced. People were cooperating as well. But in the last three or four months, the authorities have shut their eyes to violations. Bikers have also become careless," said Devi Prasad Das , a resident of Mahanadi Vihar The president of Utkal Petroleum Dealers' Association, Biswajeet Pattanaik, said it was hard for petrol pumps to enforce the rule. "Customers often use abusive language. We have no security, neither do we have the authority to enforce the rule," he said. "If the drive has to be enforced properly, commissionerate police must provide security to the employees of the petrol pump. They must station police officials at the pumps," he added.Police commissioner Y B Khurania said, "We will soon call a meeting to discuss the problem."

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