Policemen check a car driver for drink driving. (Express archives)
The Haryana government is considering making drunken driving, resulting into death of the victim, a non-bailable offence to keep a check on road accidents. Haryana Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma disclosed this during the ongoing Budget Session of Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh Wednesday.
Congress MLA Karan Singh Dalal had pointed out that a person can easily get bail under section 304 (A) of the IPC even if it led to death of the victim.
On this, Sharma said, “We are going to make this offence non-bailable. Though, it requires Centre’s permission, but still we are seriously considering it.”
Dalal also alleged that illegal sale of liquor, opium, poppy husk, ganja, smack drug is rampant in the state especially in the rural areas and there is no check by the authorities concerned. “Illicit and illegal liquor is openly sold even in small shops in villages all over the state which is spoiling the youth. Because of this, they are getting prone to illegal activities in a bid to earn quick money and indulge in violence and other criminal activities,” Dalal added.
Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala said that the illicit sale of drugs was increasing even in Chautala village in Sirsa. He said a matter has come into in his notice in which three minor girls were involved in such activities in Sirsa, which shares its border with Punjab and Rajasthan.
Claiming that the government is serious towards the problem, Sharma said that in 2017, as many as14,668 criminal cases were registered against persons indulging in illicit liquor trade and almost all the accused persons have been arrested. During this period, as many as 8,84,256 bottles of smuggled illicit liquor, 7,61,047 bottles of English wine and 73,910 bottles of beer were seized.
The state government has also established a Special Task Force(SIT) on October 3, 2017, with a view to detect and investigate several criminal activities including manufacture and supply of narcotic substances and drugs, illicit arms and counterfeit currency, cases of extorting and kidnapping and abduction for ransom. The SIT headquarter has been set up at Gurugram and one IG rank officer has been made in-charge of it.