Drink driving prosecutions in Kolkata on New Year's Eve was nearly three times the number on Christmas Eve.
Between Saturday night and early on Sunday, 179 people were prosecuted for drink driving in Kolkata, police said. The number was 67 between the night of December 24 and the morning of December 25.
Maximum violations were reported from South and East traffic guards, which cover areas like Park Street, Loudon Street, Theatre Road and Camac Street, said an officer of Kolkata police's traffic department.
Many drink driving cases were also reported from Central Avenue and Vivekananda Road, the officer said.
A person driving a vehicle is liable to be booked under Section 185 of the motor vehicles act if alcohol exceeding 30mg per 100ml of blood is detected through a breathalyser test.
The punishment for the first offence is a fine of Rs 2,000 or six months' jail. Repeat offenders are to be fined Rs 3,000 or jailed for two years.
Together, the last day of 2022 and the first of 2023 saw 1,010 prosecutions for traffic violations, including signal violations, dangerous driving, riding two-wheelers without wearing helmets, riding with more than one pillion rider and parking vehicles in a way that obstructs the thoroughfare and path of other vehicles.
The revelry continued well into January 1 because it was a Sunday.
In all, 224 people were prosecuted for riding without a helmet. In 138 cases, the pillion rider was found without a helmet.
The number of prosecutions for rash driving was 292.
Several police officers who were on duty on December 31 and January 1 said the footfall on the roads and in party zones was much more compared with last year, when a surge in Covid numbers had muted the celebrations to a large extent.
In 2021, Christmas Eve saw a large crowd descend on Park Street and surrounding areas. But a fresh surge in Covid numbers prompted the police to be on guard on New Year’s Eve. Close to 500 people were prosecuted for violating Covid norms on New Year’s Eve.
Like on Christmas Eve 2022, all the motorists and motorcyclists who were prosecuted for drink driving on New Year’s Eve were taken to the respective police stations, then to a hospital for medical examination and finally released in the presence of family members.
The vehicles were seized. “They could be released after payment of a fine in the court as a punishment for drink driving,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.
The police brass has instructed all police stations and traffic guards not to collect fines for drink driving but ask motorists to deposit the amount in courts to get back their vehicles.
