Cops prep for special drink-driving checks

Kolkata: The Kolkata Traffic Police is gearing up for Holi with special drink -driving checks from Sunday evening. These checks, cops reminded, will be carried out even in the morning till March 26, based on the actual requirement on the ground.Besides deploying 4,000 cops at sensitive points in the city, cops are also meeting residents of various complexes and high-rises across the city, requesting them to celebrate a safe Holi. The thrust this time is yet again on maintaining regular law and order in the city, an important job for cops given that the assembly polls are barely a few weeks away and law and order is being closely monitored. "This will be one of the biggest deployments since last year's Durga Puja," said an officer at Lalbazar.
"We are asking residents to follow the basic Holi norms - not splashing colours on those who are not interested, not throwing colour balloons at unsuspecting passers-by, and not engaging DJs in a manner that can cause sound pollution," said an officer heading a police station that houses many complexes off EM Bypass.While traffic cops have been successful in carrying out a minimum of 25 nakas every night since the beginning of this year, leading to over 35-40 prosecutions each night (a record for the force), these nakas—aimed at tackling the nuisance around Holi, which incidentally is a weekend—will be more intense and more extensive. This will mean more men at the nakas, and each guard conducting more than one naka in their jurisdiction.Kolkata Traffic Police sources said the guards were allowed to decide how they wanted to go about checking, especially at night. At Moulali, for example, the policemen are going up to the motorist and asking them to lower their masks and answer a few simple questions. Whenever cops doubt the tone of the voice, they are asking the motorist to undergo a Breathalyser test. At Park Street, though, which is the hub of restaurants and pubs, each motorist is being asked to undergo the Breathalyser test.Cops said they are also mapping the trouble spots across the city, with the south, south suburban, and southeast divisions leading the list. Several spots in the north, along with EM Bypass, will see extra deployment a couple of days prior to Holi.The police decided to keep an eye on repeat violators. "We are suspending licences of motorists over a period of the last 1 month. In certain instances, we might recommend other legal measures besides charging them under dangerous driving and paying a fine of Rs 5,000," said an officer."We will follow a carrot-and-stick policy. The major violators who will be creating nuisance—beyond drink-driving—will be booked under the Disaster Management Act. We will also carry out special drives, and nakas will be set up against drink driving and creating nuisance. The ramped-up security will be in place from Wednesday evening itself," said an officer.