Bhubaneswar: Drinking in public places in the twin cities witnessed a sharp decrease in 2017 as compared to 2016.

According to official statistics, while 21,787 people in the twin cities had been penalised for consumption of alcohol in public places in 2016, the number decreased to 13,046 in 2017.

Police said they had collected a penalty of Rs 1.07 crore in 2016 for the offence, while Rs 64.52 lakh was collected from violators in the twin cities in 2017. The cops attributed the decline to strict enforcement in both the twin cities.

"Concerned police stations have been asked to patrol the foreign liquor shops to prevent public drinking. Besides, we have also been cracking down popular hangout places to detect violations," said a police official.

The police had, in March 2015, made installation of closed-circuit television cameras mandatory in the 30-metre radius of liquor shops in the cities. They have asked the liquor shop owners to cover 30-metre radius of their shops with CCTVs to detect consumption of alcohol.

"Concerned police stations have been asked to ensure the functioning of the CCTVs. Besides, we have also been acting on the complaints by local residents against public drinking," he said.

However, statistics revealed increase in detection of the violation of smoking in public places in 2017. According to records, while 4,829 people had been penalised for smoking in public places in 2016, the number went up to 6,539 in the twin cities in 2017. The police had in 2017 collected Rs 6.07 lakh from offenders smoking in public.