426 Arrested For Drunk Driving In Odisha Since Sept 6

Cuttack: Director General of Police (DGP) BK Sharma on Monday said 426 drunk drivers have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on national and state highways of Odisha since September 6.

As many as 141 were apprehended on Sunday night itself.

The highest of 26 were arrested in Ganjam, followed by Jajpur (20), Sambalpur (18), Rourkela (16), Berhampur (12), Jagatsinghpur (12), Gajapati (9), Angul (6) and Nabarangpur (6), Koraput (5), Mayurbhanj (4), Kendrapara (2) and one each in Balasore, Khurda, Kandhamal, Sundargarh and Sonepur.

“Such drive should be treated as an exemplary step to curb drunk driving on the highways,” the DGP said in a release.

He further said that the police officers have been advised to ensure that there is no congestion or avoidable harassment.

On September 6, the Odisha police had launched a special drive under the provisions of Section 185/202 of the new Motor Vehicle (Amended) Act, 2019, to check drunk driving on highways, leading to fatalities.

Meanwhile, following reports in the media about the collection of hefty money by the brokers from the people at several Regional Transport Offices in the state, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera on Monday said he had directed the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) to ignore these brokers and provide instant service to the people.