In a first, Punjab Police to set up permanent sobriety checkpoints at all toll plazas

According to ADGP (traffic and road safety) AS Rai, the state police already have 669 alcometers, while 400 more machines are being purchased at ₹1.40 crore.

In a coordinated statewide drive to check the menace of drunken driving, the Punjab police will set up permanent sobriety checkpoints at all the toll plazas on the national and state highways.

ADGP (traffic and road safety) AS Rai says Sadak Surakhya Force (road safety force) personnel will be deployed at the toll plazas for the initiative and a regular pan Punjab drive will commence by mid-July.

Additional director general of police (ADGP), traffic and road safety, AS Rai said on Friday that Sadak Surakhya Force (road safety force) personnel will be deployed for the initiative and a regular pan Punjab drive will commence by mid-July.

Official sources said there are about 40 toll plazas on various roads in the state and Rai added that sobriety nakas will also be put in the cities.

“These drives will be made a regular feature,” he said adding that a meeting has been called on Tuesday to finalise the execution plan.

“To check the menace of drunken driving, we have planned to invest ₹3.5 crore from the modernisation funds to strengthen the capacity of the district forces. The state police already have 669 alcometers, while 400 more machines are being purchased at ₹1.40 crore. Another batch of 400 breath analysers will be procured soon,” Rai said.

Quoting official data sourced under the Right to Information, published in these columns, Punjab’s enforcement agency penalised 14,210 persons since 2019 or seven persons per day across 23 districts in the last five years.

ADGP admits the number as fewer but attributes it to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

“The state police had to slow down drive against drunken driving in view of medical protocols after the pandemic. We had 669 alcometers but after these were disused for months during the pandemic outbreak, 294 developed snags. But now the state force is geared up to discourage driving vehicles under the influence of liquor. A sum of ₹3 lakh has been sanctioned to repair the faulty alcometers and by the yearend, the police would have a total of 1,469 breath analysers enough for road safety,” the ADGP informed.

“In the last few years, there was a practice to set up nakas against drunken driving mainly near the marriage palaces. These pickets were functional mainly during the peak marriage seasons from November to March. But now the nakas will be set up regularly,” said the ADGP.

Drive against underage driving

Rai also said that district police authorities have been instructed to initiate a coordinated drive to discourage underage driving.

ADGP said it has been observed that the district police administration didn’t maintain a database of underage challaning but it will be an area of focus now.

“Before taking legal action against underage drivers, district police authorities will tie up with the school administrations to sensitise students and parents about the legal provisions. Strict challaning will be undertaken in the second phase,” said the official.