New Delhi: Over 500 drunken revellers, most of them youngsters, were penalised by the Delhi Police on New Year’s eve, officials said Tuesday, underlining a decline in the number of such cases as compared to last year.
A total of 509 challans were issued for drink-and-drive cases on New Year’s eve, they said. Around 15,000 police personnel were deployed across the national capital to ensure celebrations go off smoothly on New Year’s eve, with special traffic arrangements made to regulate movement of revellers, police said. Police had warned that any incident of hooliganism and drunk driving would be dealt with strictly.
The Traffic Police had adopted a “zero-tolerance” policy towards drunk driving. Often, a large number of such cases are recorded on New Year’s eve. Police had also launched an awareness campaign through radio jingles and posters to make people aware of the perils of drunk driving.
Last year, 765 people were penalised for drunk driving, officials said, attributing the drop in the number to greater awareness among Delhiites. Officials said people preferred to take a driver or book a cab after New Year’s eve celebrations. Out of the 509 people penalised, 362 were drivers while 147 were owners of the vehicles.