Traffic cops fine 1,983 delivery agents for helmetless driving in special drive

Mumbai: The Mumbai Traffic police has in the past 20 days fined 1,983 delivery executives working for a host of food and grocery delivery platforms for riding without helmets

Mumbai: The Mumbai Traffic police has in the past 20 days fined 1,983 delivery executives working for a host of food and grocery delivery platforms for riding without helmets. The police also registered 392 first information reports (FIRs) against other bikers for driving on the wrong side of the road.

Of the total riders fined for driving helmetless, 621 belonged to Zomato, followed by 510 of Swiggy (HT PHOTO)

The special drive was started on April 5 after the Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey warned the representatives of such delivery companies and instructed them to ensure that their delivery agents follow traffic rules.

Of the total riders fined for driving helmetless, 621 belonged to Zomato, followed by 510 of Swiggy. Zomato also employed 130 bikers who were booked for wrong-side driving, while FIR was filed against 139 from Swiggy for the same offence.

The traffic police said they had been receiving complaints from residents and commuters that the delivery boys had been haphazardly riding on the streets of Mumbai and creating a ruckus.

During a live Facebook streaming on March 14, Pandey declared that the delivery boys would not be treated softly. Following this, he met 30 representatives from food, grocery and courier delivery apps and warned of stern action against the companies and their delivery executives, if any of them were caught violating traffic rules.

“We had been catching delivery agents of online food and grocery delivery apps before but after the commissioner instructed we carried a special drive,” said Raj Tilak Roushan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

During the special drive from April 5 to April 24, the police caught a total of 28,371 bikers for riding without helmets and referred 3,623 of them to the Road Transport Officers (RTOs) for suspension of their licences for three months. The traffic police have also caught 1,544 drivers for honking unnecessarily.

Since March 6, the traffic police have caught a total of 8,694 motorists driving on the wrong side and registered FIRs against them. Besides, 33,912 motorists were fined for driving on one-ways, 27,679 for driving without seatbelts, 1,11,330 bikers for riding without helmets and 1,30,093 for illegal parking.