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Journalism of Courage
The Delhi Traffic Police have issued more than 5,384 challans for drunk driving in the national capital in the first three months of 2023, a rise of more than 13 times from the last two years’ figures, said officials. The corresponding numbers for 2022 and 2021 were 399 and 286.
The steep hike in the number of challans is a result of the traffic police’s crackdown on drunk driving after the Covid pandemic. They started a campaign against drunk driving at night through breath analyzers and the deployment of multiple personnel at important stretches.
The police also conducted an area-wise analysis in Delhi showing the places most visited by drunk drivers. These are Khajuri Khas, Shahdara, Kalyanpuri, Najafgarh, Mangolpuri, Sarita Vihar, Hauz Khas. In the Khajuri Khas area alone, more than 479 challans were issued in the last three months.
The data also showed stretches frequented by drunk drivers. Last year, the police had found that the Punjabi Bagh Club Road, Najafgarh Road, Lajpat Nagar main road and Mehrauli Road were the most frequented by such drivers.
A senior police officer from Delhi Traffic Police said, “After the pandemic, we have not only increased the deployment but also strategically placed personnel at dark spots, long routes and arterial roads. It has resulted in a 13x increase in challans. We want more people to be prosecuted for raising awareness about the crime and its consequences. In the last year, we could only prosecute around 400 men in the first three months.”
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