Drunk driving cases up 65% in 2018 in dry Gujarat

GANDHINAGAR: Paradoxical as it may sound, accidents caused as a result of drunken driving are on the rise in dry Gujarat even as the state tightened liquor laws in 2017. Meanwhile, drunken-driving related accidents across India have registered a decline.
Data released by the Union ministry of road transport and highways says that the number of accidents in Gujarat rose by a significant 65% between 2016 and 2018.
A total of 106 drunken driving cases were recorded in Gujarat in 2018, registering a significant rise from 65 in 2017 and 64 in 2016. This, even as the number of drunken driving cases nationally fell from 14,894 in 2016 to 12,018 in 2018.
Poor enforcement, says Cong
In a written response to a MP’s question seeking details of accidents caused due to drunken driving in states and Union territories in the past three years, union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, said, “As per information received from police department of states/UTs, the total number of road accidents under the category of drunken driving/consumption of alcohol & drug during the period from 2016 to 2018 have come down.’’ State-wise details provided by the minister reveal that drunken driving related accidents in major states and those with which Gujarat shares a border — Maharashra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan etc — have decreased in 2018 as compared to 2016.
Amit Chavda, Gujarat Congress president said, “Official figures given by the government of India in the parliament reflects the poor state of implementation of prohibition in Gujarat. Precious lives are lost because of poor implementation of the dry law.”