No mercy for drunk drivers, Odisha government to suspend licence

Driving licences of those caught using mobile phone while driving and over speeding will also be cancelled for three months.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

BHUBANESWAR: If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol, speaking over cell phone while behind the wheels or over-speeding, you may end up losing your driving licence.

In no mood to show leniency towards traffic rule violators, Odisha Government has decided to suspend DLs for three months.

As per the direction of Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, all Regional Transport Officers have been asked to strictly enforce the amended Motor Vehicle Act and suspend DLs of those persons caught for drunk driving, over-speeding and using mobile phone during driving.

Earlier, a fine of Rs 10,000 was imposed in case of drunk driving and Rs 5,000 for use of mobile phone but after the apex court recommendation, State Government decided to go ahead with it.

Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera said strict measures are being taken to check road accidents and prevent deaths on road, which ranks fifth in terms of road fatalities in the country.

“Drunk driving, over-speeding and use of mobile phone during driving are three major reasons behind rise in accidents. The number of accidents is on the decline after enforcement of new traffic rules.

"At the recent road safety meeting it has been decided to take various steps to reduce road accidents at least by 20 pc in one year,” he said.

The DLs will be cancelled for a period of three months after which they will have to apply for a fresh DL, he added.

Transport Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda said the Supreme Court Committee has directed for 100 per cent suspension of DLs of offenders found over-speeding, carrying overload or passengers in goods carriages and using mobile phone while driving besides drunken driving.

“All RTOs have been asked to take steps for 100 pc suspension of DLs against drunken drivers detected by them and forwarded by police. They have been directed to furnish reasons for not suspending the DLs in cases, if any, forwarded by police,” he said.

It has also been decided to put all vulnerable spots on highways under CCTV surveillance. So far, 193 such spots have been selected and CCTV cameras will be installed along the 52-km stretch between Girisola and Puintala in Ganjam district in the first phase.

While 334 e-challans have been issued for drunken driving by RTOs in September last year, 496 DLs have been forwarded by different police districts to RTOs concerned for suspension of DLs in cases of drunken driving. As per SARATHI database, only 126 DLs have been suspended during the month.

“It was also noticed that in some of the regions, e-challans had been issued for drunken driving and police forwarded DLs for suspension but suspension of DLs in the SARATHI database for drunken driving is nil or negligible,” Panda added.

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