Wearing a crash helmet while driving a race car isn't an uncommon sight. But who would have thought a helmet was mandatory while driving a passenger vehicle on Sambalpur’s roads. Bisakha Mahakul didn't know it either & so, when she received a challan from the regional transport office (RTO) asking her to pay Rs 1000 as fine for not wearing a helmet while driving a car, it drove the 48-year-old insurance agent to her wits end.

On Monday, Bisakha, a resident of Kuchinda township, wrote to the regional transport office (RTO) requesting officials to take appropriate action & cancel her challan. “I received a message from the regional transport office (RTO), Sambalpur, on Nov 13, stating that a challan of Rs 1000 has been issued against my car,” Bisakha wrote in her letter.

Initially, she was stumped as she didn't know why she had been fined. “I didn't even take my car out in the last few days. It was later that I found out I had been fined for driving my car without wearing a helmet,” she stated. The incident left her upset even as her husband had a hearty laugh.

“We were surprised when we downloaded the challan from the regional transport office (RTO) site & found she had been fined for driving without a helmet. We laughed & laughed & then decided to bring it to the notice of the authorities,” Bisakha’s husband Tankadhar said on Friday. Tankadhar, 54, is a govt employee.

Regional transport officer Lalit Kumar Behera said his department isn't to be blamed for the goof up. “The police have issued the challan. We have already written to the deputy superintendent of police (DSP), traffic, seeking a clarification. The police should find out how this has happened,” Lalit said.

DSP (traffic) Himansu Behera said on many occasions traffic officials ask the drivers for vehicle numbers & don’t get the time to physically verify them owing to the huge rush. “The driver who may have been fined on the road that day, could have provided a wrong registration number to the police. As a result, such an unfortunate incident has taken place,” Himansu said.

He said they would further investigate the matter. “It was absolutely unintentional. It will be rectified,” the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) added.

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