Unlike previous years, the beginning of year 2016 was not marked by fatal road accidents, courtesy an effective drive to curb drunken driving started well ahead of the New Year celebrations, claimed Ranchi police officials.
“Although some were caught and fined for driving while intoxicated on January 1 but there were no casualties. Some road accidents also were reported, but those involved in these mishaps only suffered minor injuries,” stated Assistant Superintendent of Police (Hatia) Prashant Anand.
Some of the drunken drivers were released after taking fines, whereas some were released after they were in condition fit to drive or someone came to pick them up.
This decline has been significant when considered against hundreds of deaths reported due to drunken driving every year on the New Year’s Eve. The drive to apprehend drunk drivers was started early and continued till Saturday, which cautioned the denizens of Ranchi against driving under the influence of intoxicants, said Anand.
“Police personnel with breath analysers were deployed along busiest arteries of Ranchi which cannot be avoided when travelling across the city. This way it was ensured that most of the drunk drivers are caught before they hurt themselves or others,” stated the Hatia ASP.
Additionally, lesser cases of hooliganism by drunkards came to light. Police men were deployed in major picnic spots and parks of the city to stop inebriated persons from spoiling the mood for other revellers.
“The liquor shops too were closed on time, which is 10:30 in the night, as planned. This year, we focussed on execution of plans which helped in making New Year celebrations safe this year. We intend to continue to continue this in the coming months too,” said Prashant.