Drunk driving case detection increases after Porsche case, citizens seek more action

Pune Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil explained the reason for the increase. “We regularly have nakabandis on the weekends. If there is any festival like Holi, we increase nakabandi. We also do surprise inspections, reason why the figures have increased. If you compare it with the figures from 2020-23, 2024 is almost twice. What we are seeing is that a lot of violations are happening.”

Patil said that around 20-25 nakabandis are in place every week. He also said the dip in numbers in September is due to the annual Ganeshotsav, during which traffic police are involved in other duties.

Steps not enough: Residents

Munir Vastani, a resident of Kalyani Nagar, told The Indian Express, “When I go to Koregaon Park and Kalyani Nagar at night, I see bars serving liquor after the permitted operational hours. If the government is giving so many licences, they should implement some rules to control drunk driving.”

Vastani said the onus to control drunk driving needs to be put on the bars. “It is normal for people to drink in bars and step out and drive a vehicle. The police are not very particular doing these checks. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was going around Kalyani Nagar at 1-3am and there was no police nakabandi or patrolling. Patrolling alone will not solve the issue. If a drunk driver is seen coming out of a pub, that pub should face some serious consequences like cancellation of licences.”

Haresh Barwani, another resident of Koregaon Park and a member of Team Swachh Kalyani Nagar, said, “If you look around the Bishop’s School in Kalyani Nagar every weekend, at least 50 cars are parked there. Assuming that only 50 per cent of these people are drinking, that is still a lot of drunk drivers. Are these many cases being registered?”

He also alleged that some bars were converting residential areas into commercial areas without obtaining no-objection certificates from societies. “The police should regularly check the bars and pubs, whether any violation is happening or not. Bars also encroach upon open areas like parking bays and convert it into a bar. Various departments like PMC, excise, and traffic need to act on this. ”