In Holi special drive, FIRs filed against 159 drunk drivers in Mumbai, 196 in Thane

Mumbai: Traffic police registered FIRs against 159 drunk drivers in Mumbai on Holi as part of a special drive on Tuesday. Besides, police issued 16,700 challans against motorists for various traffic violations such as jumping signals, riding without helmets, speeding, among others, and sent 20 offenders to court for driving on the wrong side. Total fines worth Rs 1.99 crore were charged.The special drive was carried out between 12 am and 7 pm. Breathalysers were used for identifying drunk drivers. They will face legal action before court and their driving licences have been sent to the RTO for suspension.
The highest number of challans issued were for speeding (4,486), followed by riding without helmets (4,317). Other offences included obstructing traffic (2,532), jumping signals (610), riding triple seat (530), driving without licence (431), violating no entry (278) and honking (2). Police appealed to citizens to celebrate responsibly. Meanwhile, in Thane, as many as 196 revellers were caught driving under the influence of alcohol during a special Holi and Dhulivandan enforcement drive carried out by the Thane police commissionerate, which booked a total of 1,681 traffic violators across 5 divisions of the city.Traffic officers said the crackdown was conducted under the guidance of police commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre, with around 450 traffic police officers and personnel deployed at multiple naka-bandi points to prevent accidents and ensure public safety during the festive period.According to DCP (traffic) Pankaj Shirsat, apart from the 196 drunk drivers, 836 two-wheeler riders were penalised for riding without helmets, while 408 were booked for triple-seat riding.As many as 227 motorists were fined for allowing passengers to occupy the front seat in autorickshaws in violation of norms, and 14 drivers were caught driving on the wrong side.Officials said the focused enforcement drive was aimed at curbing drunken driving, rash riding and other violations commonly reported during Holi celebrations, thereby ensuring safer roads and smoother traffic movement across Thane city. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !