HYDERABAD: In a single night, as many as 349 persons were booked for drunk driving across different locations in Cyberabad by the traffic police.
The police on Saturday had organised a special large-scale drive by deputing 28 teams to keep a check on drunk driving.
The special drive was held between 6.30 pm on Saturday and 2 am on Sunday. Among the 349 persons who were caught drunk driving, 253 of them were driving two-wheelers, the police noted.
Reports show that most cases were booked in Madhapur (74), Gachibowli (58), Rajendranagar (36), Kukatpally (32) and Raidurgam (30). “We deployed about 17 to 18 teams within a 2-km radius around Madhapur, Gachibowli and Raidurgam surroundings,” Cyberabad’s Joint Commissioner of Traffic Joel Davis told TNIE.
“We regularly conduct drunk driving tests and increase such checks during the weekends. But this special drive is not an everyday occurrence and we do this only once in a while due to issues in logistics,” Davis said.
On Saturday night, the traffic police surrounded exit roads and randomly did a check on those who were travelling from areas near restro-bars and pubs.
The reports shared by the police show that six of the 349 persons caught drunk driving were aged under 21.
This indicates that they were engaged in both underage drinking and drunk driving. While the traffic police have booked cases against them for drunk driving, it is the law and order police who would have to follow up and find where these people bought their liquor.
Moreover, while the permissible count of Blood Alcohol Concentration is 33, 11 persons were caught with a count of 301 - 500 and above.
On the charges for violation, the JCP said, “Based on the severity of the offence, the magistrate analyses and orders imprisonment or a fine. Factors like if the person is a repeated offender or high BAC reading will be taken into account.”
“Those who cause fatal accidents, particularly under the influence of alcohol, are being charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 Part II of the IPC, which can result in imprisonment of up to 10 years,” Davis said.