Nagpur: Fatal accidents in Nagpur’s MIDC Traffic Division have dropped by an extraordinary 65% this year, a turnaround credited to Commissioner of Police Ravinder Singal’s aggressive anti-violation drive, Operation U-Turn, with a special crackdown on drunk driving.
Between January and July 9, the MIDC division had already recorded 43 fatalities, making it the worst-hit traffic zone in Nagpur. But from July 10 to November 15, after Operation U-Turn came into force, deaths plunged to just 15, even as enforcement action intensified.
Gold Rate
14 Oct 2025
Citywide data shared by DCP Traffic Lohit Matani underlines the broader shift. Nagpur registered 287 fatal accidents and 304 deaths in 2024, compared to 222 fatal accidents and 234 deaths in 2025 so far. MIDC alone had logged 57 fatal accidents and 52 deaths in 2024, far exceeding Sonegaon (19 accidents, 18 deaths) and Kamptee (44 accidents, 40 deaths).
The biggest change, however, emerged after enforcement tightened. MIDC’s drunken driving detections, which stood at a mere 85 cases before July 10, skyrocketed to 369 cases after Operation U-Turn, a massive 335% jump. At the same time, fatalities sharply declined.
A combination of targeted measures strengthened the campaign:
• High-mast lighting and speed breakers at Jamtha T-Point: Resulted in zero fatal accidents for 11 straight months.
• New traffic signal at Samruddhi Zero Mile Circle: No deaths reported since mid-June.
• Daily nakabandis from 8 am to 2 am across nine checkpoints: Serious injuries reduced by 14%.
In 2025, MIDC recorded 54 accidents, down from 57 the previous year, and serious injuries dropped dramatically from 63 to 31.
“By penalising drunken driving, we have prevented tragedies and saved families from unimaginable grief,” said MIDC Traffic PI Sarang Mirashi.
DCP Matani added that tackling drunken driving remained the division’s “most focus-intensive intervention,” describing MIDC’s dramatic turnaround, once responsible for nearly 20% of Nagpur’s road deaths, as a model that should be replicated across other traffic zones.
