Over 700 motorists were penalised for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol on Thursday, while the Mumbai Traffic Police took action against several other traffic offenders in a special drive on the occasion of Holi.
According to traffic police officers, 725 cases of drunk driving were recorded from midnight to 10 p.m. on Thursday.
“Our personnel also registered 166 cases of rash driving, 430 cases of overspeeding, 789 cases of triple-seat riding on two-wheelers, and 4,738 cases of riding two-wheelers without helmets,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Amitesh Kumar said. Mr. Kumar said violations were observed uniformly all over the city.
The police, over the last few years, have been enforcing special drives against traffic rules violations on occasions like Holi and New Year, which begin at midnight and continue for 24 hours.
The traffic police are also aided in their drives by speed cameras, equipped with automated number plate recognition system, which were installed in the city two years ago. The city police too have been empowered to take action under the Motor Vehicles Act to deal with the rising number of casualties in road accidents.
Earlier this year, the city police, started using the e-challan system to penalise errant motorists.
Meanwhile, the Thane police penalised 922 motorists for drunk driving from midnight till 5 p.m. on Thursday.
Safe celebration
It was a relatively safer Holi this year with no hospitalisation due to severe injuries. Major public hospitals in the city treated a little over 60 people with minor injuries in the outpatient departments.
The civic-run KEM Hospital in Parel treated 27 patients of which 18 had suffered injuries due to fall. Hospital’s dean Dr. Hemant Deshmukh said four patients had complained of giddiness due to consumption of bhaang . “One patient had a head injury while the others had injuries to their hands and legs. No one required hospitalisation,” he said.
Sion and Nair Hospitals treated four and 13 patients respectively, with most patients complaining of eye irritation. State-run JJ Hospital in Byculla treated three patients while GT Hospital treated 12 patients for minor injuries. JJ Hospital’s dean Dr. Ajay Chandanwale said all patients were treated in the casualty department.
