Overview

• Bhopal’s and Indore’s district collectors issued helmet-for-fuel mandates under Section 129 of the MP Motor Vehicle Act 1988 that take effect on August 1 and run through September 29, with potential penalties under IPC Section 223.
• Petrol pumps in both cities have shifted from uneven day-one compliance to routine refusals for two-wheeler riders without helmets.
• More than 100 riders were turned away at stations like Ratnagiri on the mandate’s first day, and officials have since increased monitoring to sustain strict enforcement.
• Commuters have improvised by borrowing or swapping helmets outside pumps while entrepreneurial youths near Indore’s Aerodrome Road charge ₹10–₹20 for short-term helmet rentals.
• The directive aims to bolster road safety by enforcing existing helmet laws to reduce severe head injuries in traffic accidents.