Mandatory ISI mark on helmets triggers brisk sales across Mysuru city

As the city police have launched 'Operation Safe Ride' and are seizing sub-standard helmets from the motorists, hundreds of two-wheeler riders are thronging helmet shops across the city to purchase new helmets as per the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The city police launched 'Operation Safe Ride' to check sub-standard helmets and insist on ISI mark helmets on Tuesday and seized more than 15,000 helmets across the city, in just three hours. Following the campaign, the people are rushing to shops to purchase BIS or ISI-standard helmets.

A wide range of helmets, from Rs 500 to Rs 8,500, are available in the shops and the demand for helmets below Rs 1,000, is very high. Two-wheeler accessory shops on Chamaraja Double Road, Shivarampet, RTO Circle, Agrahara, Saraswathipuram, etc are making good business since the launch of the campaign.

According to the shop owners, they used to sell 30-40 helmets in a day earlier, but, since Tuesday, the sales is almost up by ten times. Twenty-five variety of helmets with eight different colours are available in the market.

Rajath, a shop owner on Chamaraja Double Road, said that he has sold 400 helmets on Tuesday and 350 by Wednesday noon. The demand for branded helmets below Rs 1,000 is high, said another shopkeeper. However, the riders demand fully closed helmets.

The riders, who have lost their sub-standard helmets during the campaign expressed unhappiness against the police. They said that even though the police were well aware of the norms and about the sub-standard helmets, they failed to create awareness among the riders against the purchase of low-quality helmets.

Uday, a rider, said, "I purchased a fully covered helmet by paying Rs 500 from a roadside vendor recently. But, now the police are claiming that the helmet is not safe to wear as it has no ISI mark. Why did the police allow the vendors to sell defected items?" he questioned.

It may be mentioned that low-quality helmets were available on the streets in parts of the city. Vendors from other states were doing business since compulsory helmet rule was implemented.

The police will launch the operation against helmet-less riding from Friday and they will impose a penalty against the riders without ISI helmets.