AT LEAST 466 challans, including 153 for drunken driving, were issued in the city on the eve of 2020. All the challaned 153 motor vehicles along with six others were impounded. These included 143 four-wheelers and 10 two-wheelers. The 466 challaned vehicles included two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers. Twenty special drunken driving nakas were put up and 12 nakas out of these were put up near pubs/bars on Madhya Marg and near Phase 1, Industrial Area, on Dakshin Marg. The challaned drunk motorists will have to wait for one day for paying their challans and getting their vehicles released from District Courts, Sector 43. A police officer said, “Due to administrative reasons and vacations, the challaned slips will be sent to the District Courts-43 on Friday. Generally, we send the challaned slips to the area courts the next day. We have conveyed this to the challaned motorists. A majority of people challaned for drunken driving were from Punjab, Himachal and Haryana. Around 56 challans out of 153 were issued at nakas put up on the Madhya Marg. The two-wheeler riders were challaned for drunken driving in the peripherial areas of Chandigarh.” Owners of seven disco-cum-bars situated in Sector 26 and in Phase-1, Industrial Area, were arrested for opening their entry gate and playing music after the permissible time. The late night clubs/discos, bars, restaurants were permitted to open till 1 am. Later, the owners were released on regular bail. The cases were registered at the Sector 26 police station and the Industrial Area police station. These included Prankster Bar, Beach N Brew Bar, Lazyb Shack Bar, Farzi Café Bar, and Bargain Booz Club Bar in Sector 26. Two others were Sky Mansion, Berkley Square, and 10 Downing Street, Berkley Square, in Phase-1, Industrial Area. Nineteen women and two children availed the facility of pick and drop by PCR and they were dropped safely at their residence/destinations in Tricity. Around 425 people, especially youths, were rounded up for hooliganism and rowdy behaviour throughout Chandigarh. They were all released after noting down their names and addresses. Three were arrested as a prevention action. Five men were arrested for public drinking in Sector 17, Sector 22, Bhaskar colony, Sector 25. Police said 642 calls were received at emergency number 112 and out of 642, 266 spots were generated. The majority of calls — 44 — were meant for quarrel, 26 for road accidents, 59 for noise pollution, 18 for creating a nuisance at a public place, 10 for traffic jam and 109 for miscellaneous things. About 1,199 police personnel were deployed for the law and order situation in Chandigarh. Twenty special drunken driving nakas were laid. Forty-one internal nakas, 12 exclusive nakas near pubs and bars of sectors 26 and 7, and 18 border nakas were laid. A total of 569 challans for different traffic violations were issued and six vehicles were impounded. 22 challaned for drunken driving in Panchkula In Panchkula, 22 motorists were challaned for drunken driving on New Year Eve. Two motorists were challaned for rash driving. Police impounded all the 22 challaned vehicles. DCP Kamaldeep Goyal said, “Elaborate arrangements were made by the district police to maintain law and order. Five hundred police personnel were deployed and almost 35 barricades were mounted at various places.”
