Bhubaneswar: Taking strong action against drunken driving, Department of Commerce & Transport has suspended driving licenses (DLs) of 73 persons for driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
Bishnupada Sethi, Principal Secretary Commerce & Transport reviewed enforcement action to reduce fatal accidents on roads and highways.
Thanks to overdrive of Mr Sethi, state wide joint drive against drunken driving launched by the Officials of Department of Commerce & Transport on Wednesday night.
During the special drive, 150 people were detected driving under the influence of alcohol. In accordance with the directives of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, 73 driving licenses (DLs) were suspended, a senior official of the department said here on Thursday.
The Department officials also filed 128 Prosecution Reports in courts seeking imprisonment of the offenders. During the special drive, 29 drivers and 65 vehicles were detained.
In addition to the drunken driving, during the drive 188 other traffic rule violations were detected and e-challans were also issued against these violators.
As per the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act, in case of drunken driving, first-time offenders will face imprisonment up to six months and/or fine up to Rs.10, 000.
The second offence, if within two years, can lead to up to two years prison term and/or fine of Rs. 15,000.
As per the statistics, about 10 per cent of the accidents in the State occurs due to drunken driving.
The Department of Commerce & Transport accords top most priority to safety of commuters on the road.
The Special drives will continue to penalise the traffic rule violators throughout the year, said the official.
