Wrong-Side Driving: Crackdown In Bhubaneswar, Cuttack Continues; 32 Places Marked Critical

Bhubaneswar: After six-month breather, the new MV Act was finally enforced across Odisha on Sunday. Continuing its crackdown against wrong-side driving, the Commissionerate Police seized 25 vehicles in the Odisha capital on the first day.

The drive was conducted at Raj Mahal Square, near Governor House, Patia and Acharya Vihar, among other areas in the city. 

At Raj Mahal Square, a woman created a ruckus after being caught on the wrong side of the law. The traffic cops slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on her, but she refused to let them seize her vehicle. She was seen yelling and blurting out lame excuses for taking the wrong route.

After a woman was caught on camera pleading with cops not to seize her vehicle for the same offence last month, DCP (Traffic) Sagarika Nath had told the media that they were not sorry for upholding law. “Wrong-side driving is a non-compoundable offence. When you drive on the wrong side of the road, you put the lives of other law-abiding citizen at risk. We will take action against those risking other’s lives, irrespective of who that person is,” she had said.

The police have identified 242 places in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, where commuters have ben found taking the wrong route.

Among them, 32 places have been marked as ‘critical’ as these witness frequent accidents due to wrong-side driving, the DCP added.

Wrong-side driving claimed at least 24 lives daily on Indian roads during 2018, according to a government report.