Traffic DSPs in Jharkhand asked to nab 500 drunk drivers per month

Shashank Shekhar

Bokaro ( Jharkhand) :  Think thrice before driving your vehicles after consuming  liquor in Jharkhand as one risks permanent cancellation of  his driving license for driving in a drunken state. Concerned over rising road accidents in Jharkhand, which in last three years has reached 1,026  in its 24 districts mostly due to drunken driving, Jharkhand Transport Department has shot off letters to all Traffic DSPs and District Transport Officers (DTOs) asking them to nab those drunk drivers, slapping fines on them followed by three month suspension of their driving licenses but if even this does not yield desired result then their driving licence must be cancelled for good.

In the first phase, six districts Traffic DSPs and DTOs have been sent letters including Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Deoghar, Hazaribagh and Bokaro. The Traffic DSPs have been asked to catch 500 drunk drivers per month while DTOs has been given a target of  nabbing 100 such drivers each month by conducting raids under their respective jurisdictions frequently. Besides nabbing such drivers, the officials have been also asked to check use of  mobile phone while driving on road, use of seat belt for car drivers and wearing of helmets for those driving two- wheelers which is mandatory.

The letter, which reached all the district headquarters on September 19, 2017, makes it  mandatory for Traffic DSPs and DTOs to keep a close watch on teenagers who drive bikes without getting driving licence. Such youth are often seen near schools and educational institutions.

Bokaro DTO S K Garg on September 20 informed that he along with the DSP has received the fresh direction sent by the Joint Secretary, Transport  Department, and will launch drive to nab traffic rule flouters especially the drunk drivers. “I have been given a target to nab 100 drunk drivers per month and report the matter to Headquarters while the traffic DSP has been given target of nabbing 500 such drivers per month,” said Garg.