A total of 607 people have been booked in Delhi's Outer District in a drive conducted against people drinking in public places on Saturday and Sunday. The violators would be slapped Section 40a (consuming liquor in a public place) of Delhi Excise Act, police said. Police said that the drive was undertaken to send a clear message to the violators on the need to restrain the consumption of liquor in public places and reduce alcohol-fuelled crimes. Officers said that drinking in public often creates nuisance and disturbs the peace of an area. “The offenders often quarrel with family members, neighbours and wives after consuming alcohol, and tend to commit crimes while intoxicated.To curb alcohol-fuelled crimes and take public health into account, weekend drives against drinking in public are being conducted in all 10 stations under the jurisdiction of the Outer District,” they said. The drive has yielded positive results as the officers said that there has been a decline in the number of PCR calls in the Outer District regarding domestic violence and drunken quarrels during the weekend, police said. Special instructions have also been given to step up patrolling to curb sale of illegal liquor and drinking in public. According to Sameer Sharma, DCP (Outer), "Strict directions have been passed to curb the sale of illegal liquor and the consumption of liquor in public places. The SHOs of all the police stations under Delhi Outer District have been directed to be more vigilant and increase beat staff patrolling and take strict action against sellers and drunkards at public places." DCP Sharma said that such a practice was adopted to create a sense of safety and security for the general public, especially women.
