Puducherry, January 30, 2008: Wearing of helmet will become compulsory for two-wheeler riders in the Union Territory of Puducherry in the next two weeks. Announcing this, Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order), Chhaya Sharma, told reporters here Tuesday that there was a directive from the Centre that necessary orders be issued to make wearing of helmets by two-wheeler riders.

She said that already police personnel were directed to wear compulsorily helmets while riding two-wheelers. For other sections of vehicle-users, the police were persuading them and holding special awareness programmes to bring to focus the necessity to wear helmets. But now specific directives had been received from the Centre to make it mandatory for two-wheeler riders.

She said Puducherry region alone recorded 228 fatal road accidents during 2006-07 and this was a matter of serious concern. Those killed were found not wearing helmets. The Union Territory has a total of 3.53 lakh scooters and other types of two-wheelers.