Kanwars exempted from 'No Helmet, No Fuel' policy: Noida admin

Kanwars and devotees will be exempted from the "NoHelmet,NoFuel" policy that prohibits two-wheeler riders without helmet from getting fuel in Noida and Greater Noida, officials said on Thursday.

The announcement comes a day after the district administration slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on a filling station in Greater Noida for violating the policy by giving petrol to motorcyclists without helmet.

"On the directions of District Magistrate B N Singh, it has been decided that the 'No Helmet, No Fuel' policy won't be applicable on devotees and Kanwars. All filling stations in the district have been conveyed to provide fuel to Kanwars even if they are without helmet," District Supplies Officer R N Singh said in a statement.

Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's devotees known as Kanwars who visit Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of river Ganga during the auspicious Hindu month of Shravan.

The administration had brought in the "No Helmet, No Fuel" policy in Noida and Greater Noida on June 1 in a major bid to check road traffic violations.

Earlier in June, three men were arrested after they allegedly reached a filing station for petrol on a motorcycle without helmet and engaged in a scuffle with its staffers.

As many as 220 people have lost lives and 393 suffered injuries in 481 road accidents reported in Gautam Buddh Nagar between January 1 and May 31 this year, according to an official data.