Mumbai: Cops to keep eye on drunk drivers

The police have added checkpoints across Mumbai, mostly in western suburbs and south Mumbai. The punishment for drink driving is a fine of Rs 2,500 or a jail term, according to the Motor Vehicles Act.

To keep an eye on revellers indulging in drink driving, the Mumbai traffic police have started a special campaign in the city, starting Tuesday night.

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For the next few days, policemen will be seen at almost every junction, checking if the drivers are drunk, especially while driving at night.

The police have added checkpoints across Mumbai, mostly in western suburbs and south Mumbai. The punishment for drink driving is a fine of Rs 2,500 or a jail term, according to the Motor Vehicles Act.

“The drive will continue till January 1. It will be more stringent on Christmas day and New Year’s Eve,” said Dr Prataprao Dighavkar, deputy commissioner of police, traffic.

The police will also penalise those caught violating traffic laws, such as speeding. “We have added 25 additional checkpoints for better policing. We have stepped up our campaign against drink driving to ensure there are no serious accidents in the city,” said Dr BK Upadhyay, joint commissioner of police, traffic.

According to senior officials, most accidents are because of human error. “Of every 1 lakh people, 90 die in road accidents in our country. In most accidents, human error is the cause,” said the officer. Till November this year, 13,895 cases of drink driving were registered in the city. The police have collected over Rs3.21 crore as fine this year so far.