Drunk motorists hit the road in Delhi; 13 die

Rash and drink driving cast a spell of gloom over Holi festivities in the city this year, killing 13 people since Friday night. A report by Ravi Bajpai and Nivedita Khandekar.

Rash and drink driving cast a spell of gloom over Holi festivities in the city this year, killing 13 people since Friday night.

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Police said they fined 319 motorists for driving in an inebriated state on the day of Holi alone, a huge jump from the average of 10 caught for drink driving every day.

Besides, a whopping 3,185 commuters were challaned for various traffic violations; 500 were booked for jumping signals. Police also registered criminal cases and arrested seven people for rash and negligent driving.

On Saturday, city roads virtually turned into a death trap as people hit the roads drunk, jumped signals and crossed speed limits. “It’s very obvious people are not taking adequate precautions. I don’t understand why they risk their lives and also that of others,” said S.N. Srivastava, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

Holi revelry cost several people dearly, with at least six of the 13 deaths being caused due to excessive drinking.

At south Delhi’s Ashram, three people were charred to death after the tempo in which they were travelling in skidded and caught fire. All the passengers and the driver were drunk, police said.

In west Delhi, four people fell off a flyover and died after the tempo they were travelling in overturned. The driver reportedly dozed off after a hectic Saturday.