Believe it or not, the traffic police of Hyderabad have imposed a fine of ₹2 crore since January 1 this year on drunk driving, registering 9,516 cases which has resulted in imprisonment of 1,699 persons, till April-end.
The number of drunk driving cases booked by the traffic police has seen a steady rise each month this year. The rise was expected to be much higher in May, whose data analysis is yet to be completed.
The spike in May figures is anticipated as there had been heavy sales of beer in peak summer.
“In March, we have booked 1,602 cases while in April alone 2,550 drunk driving cases were booked,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumar, adding that driving licenses of 69 offenders have been cancelled permanently.
9,648 charge-sheets
According to the data provided by the city traffic police, 9,648 charge-sheets were filed against the violators till April this year.
“In April alone 1,904 charge-sheets were filed and 381 persons were sent to jail for a period ranging between one and 30 days. The court also suspended three driving licences for a period of five years,” he said.
Most offenders young
The official said that most of the violators caught during the enforcement drive were below 30 years of age.
When asked why the drives were being conducted only during weekends, a traffic police official said that they were also conducting random checks throughout the week.
Trouble in store
Mr. Kumar said people caught and convicted for drunk driving are likely to face difficulties in securing government jobs, passport and visa clearance.
The violators will be sent for counselling at the Traffic Training Institutions at Goshamahal and Begumpet.