Riding motorcycle in K’taka with child above nine months? You might have to abide new rule soon
HC issues notice to state over safety harness for children on motorcycles; All you need to know
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has issued a notice to the State government in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking urgent measures to ensure the adequate availability of child safety helmets and harnesses for children aged nine months and above.
The division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit, issued the notice based on a petition filed by Dr. Archana Bhat K. The PIL urges the authorities to strictly implement Rule 138(7) of the Central Motor Vehicle (Second Amendment) Rules 2022 and also implement Sections 129, 137, and 194 of the Motor Vehicles Act comprehensively.
The newly added Rule 138(7) of the Central Motor Vehicle (Second Amendment) Rules 2022 specifies safety measures for motorcycles carrying children aged between nine months and four years. It mandates the use of safety harnesses to secure the child to the driver of the motorcycle. The safety harness, as described, is a vest with adjustable straps forming shoulder loops worn by the driver and crossing over the vest to secure the child, meeting specified requirements.
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Explanation - Safety harness is a vest to be worn by the child, which shall be adjustable, with a pair of straps attached to the vest and forming shoulder loops to be worn by the driver. This way, the upper torso of the child is securely attached to the driver. A feature by which this is achieved is by attaching the straps to the back of the vest and crossing the straps over the vest so that two large crossing-over loops are formed that pass between the legs of the passenger and child sits on the seat of the two-wheeler. The protective gear including Safety harness shall meet the following requirements till such time the specifications are prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (11 of 2016).
Specifications of Safety harness:
(a) Light weight, adjustable, waterproof and durable
(b) Heavy nylon/ multi-filament nylon material with high density foam with sufficient cushioning
(c) Shall be designed to hold weight upto 30 kg.
The court has directed the respondents to submit their response within six weeks and scheduled further hearings after the vacation period.
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Bommai turns down honorary doctorate, calls for rethink on awards to politicians
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP MP and former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has declined to accept an honorary doctorate from Haveri University, saying it is not appropriate to confer such honours on politicians or those engaged in self-motivated social service.
He said the love and trust of the people are the greatest honours in public life.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Registrar and Syndicate members of Haveri University for deciding to confer an honorary doctorate on me,” Bommai, MP from Haveri, said in a statement issued on Sunday night.
“However, I have informed the Vice-Chancellor that I will not accept the honour. As I am engaged in public service, I do not seek any awards. I believe the love and trust of the people are the greatest honours. Therefore, I humbly reiterate that I will not accept the honorary doctorate,” he said.
Bommai said honorary doctorates should be awarded to individuals who have rendered distinguished and significant service in a particular field over a long period.
“It is my personal view that it is not appropriate to confer honorary doctorates on politicians or those engaged in social service out of self-motivation. I request that this matter be reconsidered,” he added.
Recently, Karnataka Higher Education Minister M C Sudhakar proposed the constitution of an expert panel to regulate the awarding of honorary doctorates.
In a letter to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who is also the Chancellor of public universities in the state, the minister highlighted the lack of standards in conferring such honours.
