Toothless law, powerless traffic police, corrupt officials, wallet heavy youths with care-a-hoot attitude to society and complacent citizens have turned the city roads a playground of the young bikers who go around zooming on their latest mean machines. The scene is really gloomy as the law enforcing authorities are yet to wake up to the ground realities.
With earphones connected to his i Pod blasting pop numbers, Avishek, a 23-year-old engineering student, drives his Yamaha at a speed which can prove fatal for weak hearts. He has been doing this since his father gifted him the bike for clearing Intermediate examination. With no driving licence, he was caught on a few occasions too, But all he had to do to get across the law was to offer 100 bucks.
“I never had any problem for not having a DL. Unlike helmet-checking in the city which is frequent, there is hardly any licence check. Even if there is a checking, you can get away with a 100-rupee note,” he says. Many youngsters like Avishek rule the roads of the city breaking the law with impunity.
Interestingly, the Transport officials acknowledge the fact.
“Though students above 16 years are eligible to get driving licence for vehicles without gear, they do not possess it. Plus, lack of regular checking gives them the freedom to drive without a licence. I feel it’s the responsibility of the police and the Transport Department to collectively look into the issue,” says Lal Mohan Sethi, Regional Transport Officer.
The Traffic Police blames poor enforcement of driving licence for rash driving. “With nobody to check their licence, the students feel free to ride the way they want. Since, they are not aware of driving rules which is mandatory to get licence, they care less for others.
In addition, students who come from other States create a lot of trouble since they stay away from their parents and are not accountable for their expenses. We have planned to initiate a drive to check licence of bikers,” said ACP Binod Kumar Das.
While the Delhi Traffic Police is successfully using social networking sites like facebook to interact and educate the youths, bringing such initiatives in the City will take time. “I have heard about the initiative. It sounds good. Once we have the infrastructure and the facilities; we will also come up with such platform,” said Das.
