Drunk drivers in net: Count to touch 10k ……….Viju B | TNN
Mumbai: The Mumbai traffic police will be setting a record of sorts as the number of people convicted in drunk driving offences will be touching 10,000 soon. The total tally has now reached 9,979 convictions after 42 motorists were convicted for drunk driving at various magistrate courts on Thursday morning. The cops, in an intensive drive, booked 118 motorists on Wednesday night after they conducted surprise checks at Bandra, Marine drive, Worli and the Western Express Highway.
A magistrate’s court convicted 42 motorists out of the 70-odd cases that came up for hearing on Thursday morning. Among those convicted was a 47-year-old taxi driver, J M Khan, who was a repeat offender. The Mazagaon court sentenced him to jail for three months and suspended his licence for one year.
“In the last 16 months we have intensified drives across the city as we realised that a large percentage of the fatal accidents occurred due to drunk driving,’’ deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Harish Baijal said. According to the police, the convictions have yielded positive results and fatal accidents have reduced as compared to last year. The traffic police said that the Alistair Pereira incident, wherein the 21-year-old mowed down seven labourers on Carter Road, came as a rude awakening. The sessions court had initially sentenced Pereira to jail for just six months. “We realised that this kind of accidents can be avoided if we took steps to stop people from drinking and driving,’’ a senior traffic police official said.
The traffic police said the courts also played a pro-active role in clamping down on drunk driving. “Initially only fines were imposed on these motorists, but then we urged the courts that stricter penal action be taken against them as they would get away after paying the negligible fine,’’ Baijal said.
The courts then started suspending the offenders’ licences and at a later stage gave conviction orders. “Initially, the courts gave conviction orders for a couple of days, but then when we found that many were repeat offenders, we urged the courts for increasing the jail-term,’’ Baijal who himself appeared for many cases said.
On Wednesday, the Borivli magistrate court convicted a repeat offender for six months and cancelled his licence permanently. “We request motorists to hire a taxi or travel by train if they have consumed alcohol. As the absorption levels of alcohol on people are different ,it is better not to take a risk though you may feel that you have had alcohol within the permissible limits,’’ a police official said.