First day of 2023 sees 208 drink-drive arrests in Kolkata
Times of India | 3 January 2023
KOLKATA: Motorists continued to flout rules even on the first day of the New Year with total 206 cases of dangerous and drink-driving.
In all, 346 people were booked for violations, mostly in the added areas of Kolkata, EM Bypass and Shyampukur in north. Cops said that 119 cases of pillion riding and riding without a helmet had been reported. Cops arrested total 208 people on January 1 and seized 6 litres of liquor.
On the first night of New Year, cops launched a crackdown at 50 locations across the city between 9pm and 1am. Cops arrested the offenders in several of these cases while around two-thirds of them are likely to be recommended for temporary suspension of licences.
On December 31 and January 1, the total number of drink-driving cases stood at 280 while cops found 294 cases of rash driving. However, the figures are significantly less than last year when the city had been reeling under the Omicron wave.
Last year, around 310 people were arrested for drink-driving and 1,128 others were prosecuted for rash or dangerous driving. The fact that the cops had not used any breathalyser last made the task more difficult for them. In 2020, 188 people were caught drunk and 211 others had resorted to dangerous driving.
Some citizens rued that cops did not act strictly on the first day of the New Year. The complaints against two-wheelers far surpassed others.
Cops claimed that huge crowd in the morning had prevented organized checks at nakas with the force remaining busy in controlling the crowd. “Those who were not wearing helmets or were triple riding were spotted through CCTVs and prosecuted immediately. By the time the night raids began around 9pm, most revellers were back home because Monday was a working day,” said an officer.
On the first night of New Year, cops launched a crackdown at 50 locations across the city between 9pm and 1am. Cops arrested the offenders in several of these cases while around two-thirds of them are likely to be recommended for temporary suspension of licences.