478 held for drunken driving in 15-day campaign in Himachal

The Himachal Pradesh police have arrested 478 persons and recommended the driving licences of 685 offenders for suspension for drunken driving. The action was taken during a special 15-day campaign that started on September 24. The campaign was initiated to curb the malpractice and in view of the increase in the number of drunken driving cases across the state.

This highest number of 70 persons were arrested from Solan for drunken driving, followed by Mandi (68), Baddi (53), Bilaspur (49), Kullu (39), Chamba (21), Shimla (19), Una and Sirmaur (17 each), Nurpur (16), Hamirpur (14), Kinnaur (11), Dehra police district (9) and Kangra (3). No offender was arrested from Lahaul and Spiti district. Furthermore, the Government Railway Police (GRP), Shimla, had arrested 41 offenders while the GRP, Kangra, arrested 31.

Similarly, the highest number of 134 driving licences were recommended for suspension in Solan district, followed by Bilaspur (72), Mandi (65), Nurpur (55), Chamba (48), Kangra (43), Shimla (30), Kinnaur and Sirmaur (29 each), Baddi (27), Una (26), Hamirpur (20), Kullu (19), Dehra police district (16) and Lahaul and Spiti (4). Additionally, the GRP had recommended the licences of 46 offenders for suspension in Shimla, and 22 in Kangra.

During the campaign, a total of 84,785 vehicles were checked in various districts and 1,848 challans were issued for drunken driving. DGP Atul Verma said, “Drunken driving is one of the major causes of road accidents. This campaign is part of our commitment to make roads safer for everyone. We again appeal to the public to refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol and support our efforts in making Himachal Pradesh a safer place.”

The DGP said that the campaign focused on reducing incidents by drunken driving and promoting a culture of safe and responsible driving in the state. “This step is part of a comprehensive strategy to ensure that violators face appropriate consequences, thereby acting as a deterrent to others,” he added.

The police have urged all citizens to continue following traffic rules and refrain from drunken driving. “Any instances of drunken driving should be reported to the nearest police station or by dialling 112. We remain committed to maintaining road safety and will continue to take strict action against traffic norm violators” said the DGP.