protesting helmet rule Bharatiya Janata Party Helmet Virodhi Kruti Samiti Pune Municipal Corporation If he [Kale] has any good suggestions, we will definitely take them into consideration. He is welcome to join those working to improve traffic. As far as the rules are concerned, we will follow SC guidelines — K Venkatesham, CP, Pune The compulsory, to be imposed in Pune from next month onwards, has created an expected furore in a city that has resisted this diktat many times over.But while a huge section of citizens has already come out against this mandate, a leader of the ruling party has gone rogue, railing against this decision of the authorities in an outspoken manner and taking a strong stand against the said traffic safety norm.A Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the(BJP), Vijay Kale, came out on Friday to slam city police for their new compulsion, declaring that he hasn’t worn a helmet in his last 21 years on the road, and yet not met with a single accident in all this time. Further, Kale also railed against the police for their lack of planning when it comes to implementing this regulation, and called for the appointment of a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) “who really understands traffic”.The outpouring took place at a meet organised by the— a group of citizens agitating against the safety gear for the last few months — which had invited all the MLAs from the city put forth their views on the much-debated order, besides a 100-odd other participants.The event was being held after the Samiti, which has till now conducted multiple protests, decided to fight the new rule via the legal route, by sending a notice to the police soon. Their programme was organised at the Patrakar Sangh in Navi Peth to discuss a further course of action, with inputs from people’s representatives.Though all the other MLAs skipped the event citing some reason or the other, Kale didn’t just attend — he went all out against those imposing and supporting this decree. While he has always been part of the protest against helmets — even sitting on strike when the they were made compulsory several years ago — Kale this time decided to stand by his belief despite being a member of the ruling party.Rubbishing the idea that helmets mean safety, he first criticised the(PMC). “I have ridden a two-wheeler sans helmet for over two decades, and not experienced even one accident. The main reason for accidents in the city is the bad condition of its roads, full of potholes. Why don’t you concentrate on that first?” Kale asked civic officials.It didn’t stop there. Kale also squarely blamed the police for being unable to improve traffic conditions in Pune for so long, saying, “They have not even put forth a plan or submitted a single proposal to ameliorate the city’s traffic. I have asked them for this personally many times. They are supposed to protect citizens — not make them suffer. We have seen many of them come under the eye of the anticorruption bureau (ACB). Illegal two-wheelers and four-wheelers are parked everywhere and never get lifted. And while all this is out of control, they want to concentrate on compulsory helmets.”Questioning why this rule is being implemented in Pune and not Pimpri-Chinchwad, Kale further said, “The DCP (traffic) and senior police have no idea about the number of vehicles in the city. When I asked, they said they are still trying to find the exact numbers. Then, how can proper planning happen? Decisions are made on whims. A few years ago, a DCP decided to make Jangli Maharaj (JM) Road a one-way, claiming this would be a traffic solution. Someone who really understands traffic issues and planning needs to be appointed as the traffic DCP.”Coming back to the issue at hand, Kale also issued an open challenge to the police to take action against everyone who flouts the new helmet rule. “No one can challenge us Punekars. If we decide to break a rule, how many people will they catch and fine? They can’t even take action based on footage from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that are all over the city. They had been claiming that they would improve traffic once the cameras were up. How many offenders did they end up catching using this system?” he said, adding, “As if the police were not enough, the regional transport office (RTO) has also promised to provide staff to implement the helmet rule. At least provide licenses properly first! Don’t get into new issues when you can’t sort out what is already on your plate.”Disregarding Kale’s angry monologue, the police are not budging from their decision. Claiming to not remember having met the MLA, commissioner of police (CP) K Venkatesham told Mirror, “If he has any good suggestions, we will definitely take them into consideration. He is welcome to join those working to improve traffic. As far as the rules are concerned, we will follow Supreme Court guidelines.”

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