Bhubaneswar: An unprecedented increase in sale of fake helmets has been observed in the Capital city after authorities started clamping down on the offenders violating the traffic norms post implementation of Motor Vehicles (MV) Act earlier this month.
In a reality check by Orissa POST, more than 50 roadside vendors in the city are selling helmets that bear fake ISI mark or none at all. With prices ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 3000, these headgears are selling like hotcakes with buyers giving two hoots to its authenticity.
“I have bought this helmet only to give the traffic police a wide berth. Even if I do buy a genuine one, what’s the guarantee that it will save my life? Besides, I have already bought two authentic helmets earlier which got stolen and it already cost me Rs 6,000,” complains Nirmal Behra.
Under Section 194D of the MV Act, riding without a helmet will attract a fine of Rs 1000, along with 3-month suspension.
However, little does Nirmal know that a rider using low quality helmet is more likely to get injured or killed, as stated in a report by United Nations (UN). In another report by the UN, riders of two-wheelers are 26 times likely to die in a crash than car riders.
Furthermore, while 33.8 per cent of road deaths included two-wheelers in the country, Odisha was rated only second in road deaths after Uttar Pradesh by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in 2016-17.
Meanwhile, an increase in number of these shops has also been recently observed. Abhiram Swain who runs a helmet shop here at Satya Nagar and imports all his products from Delhi has also put his younger son to work. While Swain is aware that his products are not genuine he “doesn’t care as long as this business fetches him profit.”
“I use to sell about 15-20 helmets a month and my business would be around Rs 30,000. However, recently after the authorities starting dealing the offenders with an iron hand, I have sold 30 pieces already. I am expecting even a further increase in demand,” Swain states.
There has been reports of selling overpriced headgears in the city. “They are just making money out of our miseries,” said Sandeep Mohanty a rider here. “I purchased a helmet three months back and it was about Rs 300 but the same helmet is now being sold for about Rs 600.”
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