378 Arrested For Drunk Driving Across Odisha In A Day, Highest In Cuttack

Cuttack: A total of 466 people were found driving under influence of alcohol on a single day in Odisha during a state-wide crackdown on drunken driving to reduce road fatalities.

While 378 people were arrested after being subjected to a breath analyzer test, vehicles of 377 offenders were detained and 179 driving licences were suspended during the special drive conducted by Odisha Police and the State Transport Department on Friday.

Of total arrests, the highest of 63 was made in Cuttack in the central zone region on May 6, followed by Sambalpur (46) in the northern zone and Ganjam (30) in the southern zone in Odisha. Only 9 were driving under the influence of alcohol in Bhubaneswar (2 in Bhubaneswar-I and 7 in Bhubaneswar-II RTO).

Notably, the September 2019 amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 mentions that first-time offenders will face fines of up to Rs 1,000 or up to 6 months in jail. The second offence, if within two years, can lead to up to two years prison term and/or a fine of Rs 15,000.

The STA in a press release said that 246 road accidents took place in Odisha due to drunken driving in 2021. A total of 83 people lost their lives in these incidents and 251 were injured.

After going easy on drunken driving during the COVID pandemic in view of the health hazards associated with the breath analyser test, the enforcement squads are conducting such drives at regular intervals, it added.