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HELMET ISSUE: TWO-WHEELER RIDERS DEMONSTRATE AT
TRANSPORT MINISTER'S RESIDENCE
Transport Minister Pandurang Madkaikar today (Jan 24) a delegation of
Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) that Government would notify the two
exemptions to the helmet rule as was mooted out by his predecessor
Pandurang Raut and published by the Government as draft rules in March 2001.
The two exemptions from wearing helmets are for persons driving Motorcycles
at a speed not exceeding
40 km and persons driving Motorcycles within municipal areas.Two wheeler
riders led by Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) Convenor Mr. Premanand Lotlikar
and Adv. Aires Rodrigues today staged a demonstration infront of Transport
Minister Pandurang Madkaikar's residence at Old Goa shouting slogans
opposing fresh moves by the authorities to make use of Helmets mandatory.
The delegation that met the Transport Minister told the Minister that the
fresh move to enforce helmets
had nothing to do with safety but was a ploy by certain police and
transport department Officials who
for monetary gains are conniving with the Helmet Manufacturer's lobby and
trying to once again make use of helmets by two-wheeler riders
mandatory.The delegation complained to the Minister about the
traffic police high-handedness over the last week in harassing two-wheeler
riders across Goa in the name of the so-called awareness drive to educate
two-wheeler riders into wearing helmets.
The Minister was also told that mere use of helmets will not save lives and
that the roads have to be made safer by eliminating the causes of accidents
like stray animals on the roads, rash and drunken driving and that
corruption in the police and traffic departments has to be
eliminated.Earlier in the morning an emergency meeting of the Motorcycle
Action Group (MAG) resolved to launch a
State-wide agitation to oppose the mandatory helmet rule and warned that
the Government would be solely responsible for the consequences of the
agitation. The Motorcycle Action Group will meet on 30th January to
finalise the plan of action.
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