JULY 2022

Need to Get Priorities Straight

Since 2020 life has become very unpredictable as one does not know what is round the corner a couple of weeks down the line; whether we will get another wave of COVID, or if Putin goes to war. Due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, the fuel prices have gone beyond the Rs 100 mark and this has hit the common man the most. The two-wheeler owners have to put their hand in their pockets to pay for petrol and this is one of the major reasons why the sales of new two-wheelers has taken a hit.

Last month, we were invited by Bajaj for the opening of their new assembly line of the all-electric Chetak at Akurdi where the original petrol-engine Chetak used to be manufactured. The new assembly line takes up a fraction of the space of the huge building with a lot of space for expansion to increase the capacity as and when needed. The new assembly line is sleek and modern but what impressed me the most was when we were taken for a walk of the new R&D facility. The battery testing facility is placed remotely to keep any fire hazard away from the main R&D building. Though we had limited access to the R&D centre, I must say I was really impressed with the new R&D capability of Bajaj Auto.

The Mumbai Police are making it mandatory for pillion riders to wear a helmet. Yes, it is incontinent to carry a extra helmet but let me say that a pillion rider is just as much or even more vulnerable to getting injured or losing their life in an accident as the rider. Many a time I have seen a rider wearing a helmet and their wife, girlfriend, or friend without one. I stop and ask the rider, “Don’t you care for your partner’s life?” Moreover, three—even four persons—on a bike is a big no.