This week, a Bombay High Court-appointed commissioner will visit showrooms of Bajaj Auto and shoot photographs of motorcycles to verify if the manufacturer was complying with norms.
Two-wheeler manufacturers beware. This week, a Bombay High Court-appointed commissioner will visit showrooms of Bajaj Auto and shoot photographs of motorcycles to verify if the manufacturer was complying with norms regarding protective devices like hand-grips and wheel guards.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking strict implementation of safety norms by two-wheeler manufacturers. Petitioner Gyan Prakash from Jabalpur has said that two-wheeler accidents account for 15.1 per cent of all accidents across the country.
At least 2,439 motorcyclists died in accidents in 2005, he said. Bajaj, which is named as a party in the PIL, on Wednesday filed an affidavit saying the company had been following the Central Motor Vehicle Act on providing vehicles with hand grips and a protective gear covering half of the rear wheel.
But the petitioner showed the court brochures of Bajaj Auto, which had photographs of motorcycles with no protective device on the rear wheel. The protective device ensures that the clothes of the pillion rider do not get entangled in the wheel.
“Are you prepared that we visit your workshop right now and verify what you have said in the affidavit?” the judge asked the Bajaj’s lawyer. “If somebody has stated wrong facts on oath in an affidavit then they will be in trouble.”
The lawyer sought 30 minutes from the court. When he returned, he handed over a mobile phone to the judges showing images of Bajaj motorcycles on the road. He said the vehicles were fitted with the safety devices. But the judge pointed out that the protective device was different in every image. The next hearing is on February 27.
m_anshika@dnaindia.net
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