Despite a special drive by the traffic police, New Year’s eve saw as many as 230 people from different parts of the city being booked for drunk driving. On Sunday, the suspects were produced before a court and released on bail.
The offenders of traffic regulations had no choice but to spend the New Year in police stations.
Senior police inspector (traffic management and control) Vijay Kumar Palsule said, “We caught 230 offenders in 2011. Most of them were young and well-educated people.”
In contrast, in 2010, only 113 offenders were caught for driving in an inebriated condition.
On Saturday, 38 traffic police teams were deployed across the city and local police station forces were also pressed into action. The maximum cases of drunk and rash driving were reported from Bhosari (24), Hinjewadi (24), Chatuhshrungi (16), Kothrud (14), Hadapsar (14) and Sahakarnagar (12) police station areas.
The year 2012 started on a rough note for Puneites with two deaths reported in four separate accidents. Amol Gawai (25), a resident of Pimpri, was killed after the two-wheeler he was riding pillion on hit a road divider on Sunday near Hotel Fortune in Hinjewadi.
Manuel Das (28), also of Pimpri, was on his way to Wakad with Amol when Das lost control and hit the road driver. Amol died on the spot and Das fled the spot, but is undergoing treatment in a private hospital for head and leg injuries.
Another motorcyclist, Eknath Bhanudas Aaran (30) lost his life when an unidentified vehicle hit his two-wheeler from behind on Gadital Road in Hadapsar. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
Harpreet Saluka (25), a resident of Shivajinagar, was booked for talking on the cellphone and hitting two pedestrians under the influence of alcohol while riding his two-wheeler in Khadki. When traffic constable Vinayak Varpe asked Saluka to halt near Poultry Chowk on Saturday midnight, Saluka allegedly manhandled and abused the policeman.
In another incident in Chinchwad, Vijay Kambale (24) of Pimpri, was held for rash driving under the influence of alcohol. He also abused a traffic constable, Laxman Aadhari, on Link Road at 2 am on Sunday. Charges of manhandling a policeman, drunk and rash driving have been registered against Kambale.
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