To reduce anti-social activities and ensure road safety, the Commissionerate Police of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack launched a rigorous drive against drunken driving and reverse riding under the “Safe City Drive” initiative. The operation on Saturday night, August 31st, 2024, resulted in the seizure of 97 vehicles.
The drive was carried out under the direct supervision of Commissioner of Police, Sri Sanjeeb Panda, and DCP Bhubaneswar, Sri Prateek Singh, Sri Tapas Pradhan, DCP Traffic with active participation from 12 police stations across Bhubaneswar, including Capital, Kharavela Nagar, Badgad, Laxmisagar, Nayapalli, Sahid Nagar, Infocity, Maitri Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Mancheswar, Nandankanan, and Traffic P.S. I & II.
A meticulously planned operation, conducted from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., targeted 16 vulnerable points with 06 platoons of force.
The results were significant, with a total of 97 vehicles seized for drunken driving. The Traffic P.S. I & II were particularly active by seizing 52 vehicles, including high-end models like Jeep Compass, Toyota Fortuner, Hyundai Creta, Volkswagen Ameo, Kia Seltos, Innova, Mahindra XUV700, and Grand Vitara. Among these, Traffic P.S-I seized 19 vehicles, including 11 four-wheelers and 8 two-wheelers which were involved in reverse riding. Traffic P.S-II seized 33 vehicles, of which 29 were four-wheelers, 4 were two-wheelers, with 3 of these vehicles involved in reverse riding and dangerous drunken driving, and 1 vehicle seized for wrong-side driving.
In one notable incident, a driver attempted to evade police by parking his vehicle on a bylane before the check post at OMFED. He locked the vehicle and went away thinking to get back after police checking. The police team towed and seized the Hyundai Verna vehicle vide red. No. OD 07 W 1188.
In other incidents during checking the offenders, heavily intoxicated, did not stop at the check post. He attempted to evade capture by taking u turn, riding in the reverse direction. He did not stop at the cut-off barricade even though he was stopped by the police team. He broke the barricades with dangerous riding. However, the police were well-prepared, by using spikes to halt the vehicle and seize this vehicle. In this regard, one FIRs has been lodged against one Motor cycle Vide Rgd. No. OD 34 U 7203 and two persons had been arrested.
In another incident, one Toyota Fortuner Vehicle vide Rgd. No. OD-07 V 7447 coming from Nalco Chhak’s side, did not stop at the police barricade near OMFED, damaged the barricades and dangerously drove away endangering the life of the police personnel on duty.
The vehicle was also identified from CCTV. FiR has been lodged against the owner of the vehicle.
Reports have been filed in the court against 80 drunken drivers. Also, an FIR has been filed in Police stations against 17 individuals who were found to be heavily intoxicated and detected in reverse riding, with some even attempting to run over police personnel. The Commissionerate Police have adopted a “Zero Tolerance Approach” toward such reckless behaviour and are determined to bring these offenders to justice.
The Commissionerate Police has recommended the suspension of driving licenses to the Regional Transport Office (RTO) for those found guilty of drunken driving. The drunk drivers will be required to pay fines of Rs 10000 in court and obtain a release order before reclaiming their seized vehicles.
Twin City Police Commissioner, Sanjeeb Panda, emphasized the importance of road safety and urged the public to refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol. He stated, “The safety of our citizens is our top priority. We urge everyone to refrain from drunken driving, as it poses a significant danger not only to the violators but also to the public on the road.”
