Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police seized 25 vehicles including several high-end cars for drunken driving during its “Safe City Drive” in Bhubaneswar in one night.
In order to reduce anti-social activities and ensure road safety, the Commissionerate Police carried out the drive under direct supervision of Commissioner of Police Sanjeeb Panda and DCP Bhubaneswar, Prateek Singh and DCP Traffic, Tapas Kumar Das on Saturday night.
Several police stations across Bhubaneswar including Capital, Kharavelanagar, Khandagiri, Bharatpur, Nayapalli, Mancheswar, Saheednagar, Infocity, Maitri Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Nandankanan, and Traffic PS I & II participated in the drive.
A meticulously planned operation targeted 15 vulnerable points in the city, deploying 4 platoons as additional support forces under the leadership of DCP Traffic, Tapas Kumar Das and ACP Traffic, Bhubaneswar Jayant Kumar Dora. The teams worked throughout the night to identify and penalise those violating traffic laws, particularly driving under the influence of alcohol.
At the end of the drive, the team seized 25 vehicles for drunken driving. The Traffic PS I & II seized highest 18 vehicles, including high-end models like Toyota Fortuner, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV-300, Maruti Ertiga, Grant ilO, Maruti Baleno.
Criminal cases have been filed against four individuals who were found to be heavily intoxicated and detected them in reverse riding with dangerous driving, with some even attempting to run over police personnel.
The Commissionerate Police has recommended suspension of driving licences of those found guilty of drunken driving to the Regional Transport Office (RTO). Offenders will be required to pay fines in court and obtain a release order before reclaiming their seized vehicles.
Police Commissioner Panda emphasised the importance of road safety and appealed to the people to refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol. “The safety of our citizens is our top priority. We urge everyone to refrain from drunken driving as it poses significant danger not only to the violators but also the public on the road,” he said.