Motorists who resent police’s overzealous attitude in cases of drunk-driving can expect a little leniency in the coming days.
Motorists who resent police’s overzealous attitude in cases of drunk-driving can expect a little leniency in the coming days.
Excise minister MP Renukacharya on Friday said he would soon hold talks with home minister R Ashoka regarding the matter.
Renukacharya told reporters he was flooded with complaints from the public against alleged police harassment at night. The minister came under a barrage of questions about the practice of policemen waiting for people to leave bars and then making them cough up bribes of up to `500. In most cases those caught have no way out as they stand to be fined up to `2,000 if a case is booked and their vehicle is also liable to be seized by police.
Admitting that this had led to frequent arguments between police and drunk motorists, Renukacharya asked in a lighter vein whether the government should provide an ambulance service for drunkards from bars to their home. The minister later said though he could not do much regarding the laws, the excise and home departments had good coordination and he would chalk out a way to ensure that elderly motorists who are drunk but in a stable condition are not put to any hardship by policemen.Renukacharya said a little leniency could be shown in border-line cases, where the liquor consumed was found to be just marginally higher than the fixed limit. The legal permissible limit is 30mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
Asked about liquor being more expensive in Karnataka compared with many other states, Renukacharya said the quality of liquor in the state was much better compared with elsewhere. “In Goa, liquor is manufactured in homes,” he said. “Here, it is produced in distilleries. The price factor may prevent poorer men from consuming liquor. But this has brought in positive effects as men are now spending more on their families. Earlier, they used to lose their entire earning on cheap arrack, which is banned now.’
Asked about relaxing the deadline for bars (currently, 11 pm), Renukacharya said he was not for its extension. “Already people are consuming enough liquor,” he said. “I don’t want to extend the timings.”
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