Enforce mandatory helmet rule for 2-wheeler drivers, pillion riders in Ahmedabad in 15 days: High Court

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday directed authorities to implement within 15 days the mandatory requirement for two-wheeler drivers and pillion riders to wear helmets in Ahmedabad city.

Observing road traffic in the city was an issue that needs to be taken care of and its management requires a holistic approach, a division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi also directed civic authorities to take steps to prohibit people from driving on the wrong side.

The court asked the authorities to put up boards in "accident" and "high accident" prone areas after identifying such localities through surveys.

"We are giving you 15 days to implement the first requirement of putting up this mandatory condition of wearing a helmet by two-wheeler riders, including the pillion riders," the HC said.

The bench issued the directive while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) about the construction of a flyover by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) that the petitioner said will increase traffic congestion and possibilities of accidents as well as reduce green cover in the area.

The court broadened the PIL's scope by adding the aspects of management of vehicular movement in Gujarat's commercial hub and filling up vacancies in the traffic police department.

The HC said it will also look into the management and maintenance of entry and exit points in national highways, especially the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar National Highway that runs through Ahmedabad city, as part of the same petition.

"Identify specifically those areas where there is congestion at a particular time. There has to be special attention," Chief Justice Agarwal noted.

"What we want is there should be some kind of study, a holistic approach... We are alive of the situation that traffic is an issue which is to be taken care of for the future as well, and it is the AMC which is tasked to do that," she observed.

Chief Justice Agarwal maintained that when carrying out the construction of roads and flyovers, the issue of entry and exit points existing in the city needs to be taken care of.