Jamshedpur: The district traffic department has decided to act tough against drunk driving during the year-end celebration. Officials informed that special drive would be carried out at different areas of the city to check drunken driving.
Four breathalysers under possession of the district traffic police would be used during the operation on Saturdays and Sundays from December 28 and on special occasions when picnickers number swell at picnic hotspots such as on December 31, January 1, January 14 and January 26. The team inspected picnic spots on Sunday namely Jubilee Park, Dimna Lake, and Hudco Lake.
“This time we are serious on the issue . The drive will help in checking road mishaps. Drunk driving is one of the major reason of road mishaps during the festival. We are also issuing a general appeal asking people not to drive vehicles– two and four wheelers –under the influence of alcohol,” said deputy superintendent of police ( Traffic) , Rakesh Mohan Sinha.
He said that traffic cops manning the approach roads have been trained in breathalysers test. The Jamshedpur Police have acquired a score of breath analyzers to drive wedge between the lethal combination of drinking and driving. Traffic Police gets six of them while the industrial towns get two each. If caught driving under the influence of driving above the permissible limit, one can be fined up to Rs 2,000.
In case of penalty not paid, the violator�s vehicle can be seized and in grievous cases, the driver can face imprisonment for a period of six months to two years. Officials informed that traffic cops equipped with breath analyzers henceforth would check impromptu at static locations.
The 25-member squad comprising inspectors, sub-inspectors and constables from the excise department had carried out twin surveillance shifts � one in the morning and the other in the evening.
Further intensifying the law enforcement measures on traffic violators, four more cranes are likely to be delivered to Traffic Police by the Urban Development Dept. to lift away these vehicles.
It is estimated that nearly 12 lakh commuters and vehicles ply on roads every day. Maintaining their smooth flow would indeed be a daunting task once when hordes of buses of educational institutes deluge the narrow city roads after the summer holidays.