HYDERABAD: Don’t be surprised if you lose your helmet after you leave it at the parking lot the next time you visit a shopping complex or a plush mall in the city. Chances are also that a new helmet would be, without your knowledge, replaced with an older one.
After the city traffic wing made it mandatory to wear a helmet while riding a two-wheeler, an increasing number of denizens are found to be wearing them. But it looks like the compulsory rule is causing many to lose helmets when visiting a shopping mall or any other public places.
“This is the second helmet I am losing this month. I should have got a lock for the helmet but now I have learnt a lesson,” said Sudheer Krishna, who was found arguing with a security guard at a mall in Himayatnagar. In fact, a few of my friends too were complaining of losing helmets at public places, he claimed.
“We try to keep high-quality helmets which are priced much higher than what is sold on the streets. That’s because of the quality. But, customers now ask for cheaper helmets stating carrying or safeguarding helmets are more of a problem these days,” said Rehman, who manages a helmet store in Secunderabad.
“It is turning to be a very common problem, especially at public places, that helmets are being stolen by miscreants. Beggars, ragpickers, or some mischievous persons are usually involving in such petty thefts which are often a cause of concern. The motive is usually to make quick money by selling it as a scrap,” pointed out Tajuddin Ahmed, Additional DCP Traffic (west and central), Hyderabad.
At Westside, a shopping centre in Himayatnagar, the complex staff observed that the number of complaints they were receiving was considerable enough. “When our parking was towards the main entrance, we had numerous complaints from the patrons who visited us. We had to change it to the interior but even after that on some instances, we are receiving complaints about helmets being stolen,” said an operational head.
On a perusal, the free parking order given by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) this year seems to be promoting such culture of helmets being stolen.“The motivation among the security staff to safeguard the belongings, especially, the helmets is not there. That causes oversight and eventually loss of valuables. A mechanism has to be created by the mall owners to caution miscreants of CCTV cameras having a vigil or having the security guards to be alert,” Ahmed observed.