A helmet for beti bachao... @ssptfcchd @trafficchd #MakeChandigarhRoadsSafe #helmets @JaspreetTOI @kshitij_17… https://t.co/0BE23s7zMu — parveen kumar mittal (@Pmittal1981) 1531984999000 I was looking forward to this rule. I live in Himachal and there helmets are compulsory for women too. I was shocked when I came here and saw that women drive two-wheelers without helmets. Moreover, women give such illogical explanations like hairstyle will get messed up, or something like that." Yamini, MA English, PU I always used to wear helmet while driving my two-wheeler even before the decision came out. Noe, I think everyone would have to wear it too as no one would want to have a Challan right? Girls never used to wear helmets for their beauty reasons, but now they would have to." Ravneet Kaur, BCom, LLB Honors Since, now it's mandatory, I think more girls would prefer wearing the helmet. But, it's a self-decision for everyone out there as it's a matter of own personal safety." Anu Vaid, PU faculty I feel that helmets are equally important for both men and women. It is only for their safety, so they should always wear it instead of giving lame excuses that the hairstyle will get messed up. If you have safety, then only you will have beauty. I hope other girls will agree with this viewpoint." Muskan Ahuja, MA English, PU Safety is required for everyone, whether you are a girl or a boy. It is a very good initiative by Chandigarh administration to make it compulsory. Earlier, girls had this freedom of not wearing helmets, but now that it's compulsory even for the pillion riders, I believe everyone would wear it." Neha, MA, Geography, PU I have just started wearing helmets after the decision so that there's no challan. Actually, I found out that it's really comfortable. Plus, the noise is blocked out wearing helmets, apart from the safety issue. I don't know why girls don't wear helmets, but after the compulsion decision, they ought to wear it." Rinku Yadav, MSc Mathematics I used to have a helmet but wore it after the decision. It's for our safety purpose, so why not wear it." Nancy, PU employee While Chandigarh already fares high on traffic disciple compared to other cities in the country, the UT traffic department has made up its mind to implement laws more stringently, albeit in velvet gloves. On July 16, the department launched a vast 'awareness drive' to urge girls and women riding two-wheelers to wear helmets. This comes after Chandigarh administration, following a notice issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on a suo motu petition on the increasing accidents involving women, made helmets mandatory for women riders. As part of the drive, the department has shortlisted colleges foremost, besides offices with women employees and public places. Led by SSP Security & Traffic (UT) Shashank Anand, the traffic department made a stopover at Panjab University on Wednesday, on the second day of this initiative. Calling it a "historical" drive, Anand hints at exploiting this as an opportunity to create dialogue with the public, rather than forcing rules. Inputs by Faguni VermaStudents at Panjab University campus were in for a rare treat on Wednesday when they saw cops approaching them with smiling faces. As part of its awareness drive to encourage Chandigarh women to wear helmets, the UT traffic department, headed by SSP Shashank Anand , reached PU on its second campus, after covering PGGCG-42 on Monday. Spotting girl students leaving gate number 2 of the campus, the cops were seen handing out coffee mugs embossed with UT police's logo, to girls wearing the headgear. While for those not wearing helmets, well…the cops offered roses! Said Inspector, Sita Devi, in-charge of this drive, "We are providing coffee mugs to every woman rider with the caption, 'Helmet pehnao, beti bachao'. I have asked girls on light points that why don't they wear the helmet, and they had only one reply- that if it's compulsory, only then we will wear it. But, that's hardly justifiable if they land up with a head injury in a road accident. So, it's for their own safety that we have made it compulsory."While this legion of cops was busy placating the helmet wearing girls, there were three girls on a scooter, attempting tripling, that too without a helmet! Anand was quick to stop them, as he quipped, "One, you aren't wearing helmets. Two, you are three on one scooter. This is the reason why it was necessary to make helmets mandatory." There was also a circular on road safety that was being shared with the riders leaving that check point on campus.–Faguni VermaWe launched this awareness drive from PGGCG-42 on July 16 and will take it to every college in city limits. We intend it to permeate down to every lady/girl riding a two-wheeler. We aren't really bothered about enforcement yet, instead we are keen on a positive reinforcement about developing a safety mindset through helmets.You have been giving out freebies to college students in the last two campuses.Yes, that is part of the encouragement we offer to them for doing the right thing. We gave free petrol coupons worth `100 to girls in helmets at PGGCG-42, and coffee mugs to those in PU. We are also offering umbrellas, given the monsoons, fridge magnets, and quality helmets to needy girls after collaborating with a sponsor.Eventually challans will happen too. But, we first want to spread encouragement for protecting their lives through helmets, and also leverage this as an opportunity to enhance public-police interaction, which is a collateral advantage of this drive.This is also part of policing, Only, the approach is different. We are aiming at inculcating behavioural changes in target populations through this apparently soft stance, rather than force it through rules. A ticket can always be issued for traffic violations, but personally, I would be the happiest if we didn't have issue a single challan (laughs).— Jaspreet.Nijher@timesgroup.com

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