Fuel pumps to go dry against no helmet, no petrol rule

The no helmet-no petrol rule of the BJP-Shiv Sena saffron alliance government seems to have boomeranged with the fuel stations’ owners deciding to go dry from August 1.
 They will also explore legal options to move the Bombay High Court.

Last week, Transport Minister Diwakar Raote of the Shiv Sena made the announcement of no helmet-no petrol in the Maharashtra Legislature and justified it on grounds of promoting safety on the roads.

“Supplying fuel to riders not wearing helmets is seen as encouraging riding two-wheelers without helmets,” he said, adding that it is being done at the directives of the Supreme Court, which has asked for strict implementation of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The Federation of All Maharashtra Petrol Dealers’ Association (FAMPEDA), however, has opposed the move on multiple grounds. “It’s a very strange decision without weighing the pros and cons of it,” FAMPEDA president Uday Lodh told DH, on Wednesday night.

He said that the petrol-diesel pump owners and workers are “private persons” and they cannot enforce law. “We are not entrusted with law enforcement and the government is asking us to enforce law by not giving petrol to people who are not wearing helmets,” he said.