Representational picture
Nagpur News: “The driver is safer when the roads are dry; the roads are safer when the driver is dry.”
“A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense.”
“The speedway ends at the cemetery, and if you are lucky enough, the police custody.”
So, the Orange City citizens, specifically the “elite”, what is your plan or path to opt to follow the “distinguished events” mentioned above? The question is being asked for because the Nagpur police have undertaken sustained drives to curb drunken driving, gambling and liquor prohibition since the past 20-odd days.
The next time you break a traffic laws in Nagpur, be ready to pay a heavy price. The Maharashtra Government had decided to increase threefold the fines for all traffic violations and make some of the more serious offences like road rage and rash driving bailable only by a magistrate.
The decision to amend the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988,is the latest bid to crack down on the growing menace of rash and drunk driving on Nagpur roads. In a major step towards curbing incidents of drunk driving, the offenders lose their license if they drive when drunk above the maximum limit.
The drive of the Nagpur police against drunken driving, gambling and violations of liquor prohibition under Motor Vehicles Act 1988 and Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, Prevention of Gambling Act and the Bombay Prohibition Act reaped the fruits as they have booked or arrested hundreds of drunken drivers, gamblers and violators of liquor prohibition act. The recovery of fines reached lakhs of rupees. The police actions wary from offences to offences in various degrees the guilty were found violating the rules and regulations.
However, the most surprising and amazing aspect that could be drawn from the Nagpur police drive is the irresponsibility and no thought whatsoever by the culprits who were either booked or arrested for drunken driving. The drunken driving could be compared to committing suicides, and, killing other innocent citizens, too. The fact, booking or arresting and thereby fining the drunken drivers, fetches no importance as far as laws and rules and regulations are concerned. In the common parlance the actions by police come under law and order formalities alone. But, if one ponders over the catastrophe the drunken driving could inflict then one shudders to even think what would be the outcome.
The Orange City newspapers carry reports of road accidents – fatal or serious— occurring on daily basis. The Nagpur traffic could be put into the category of most insensible by any yardstick. Many among the Nagpur citizens had lost their near and dear ones, have been losing, and will lose in future as well if the common sense eludes a specific class of vehicle riders. The victims belonged to every age in general and the young ones in particular. The young boys and girls zip zap while speeding their vehicles particularly the boys with hi-tech motorcycles of various brands. The most common scenario of nonsensical traffic could be witnessed at major squares of the city where, leave alone youngsters, even the aged citizens, show no patience to stop for few seconds. The uncaring lot zooms past violating the vital signals thus putting themselves and others too in potentially accident kind of situations. In fact, umpteen mishaps have occurred in the categories of fatal or serious. And the outcome of these road accidents is certain. Death or serious injuries. The violator of traffic rules is no doubt is the victim and an innocent and follower of traffic rules becomes one for no fault of his or her.
The Nagpur citizens, who strictly follow the traffic rules, and their conscious, too, are being put to risk by a “special class of citizens in the already chaotic traffic. The drunken drivers are part of this “special class” of citizens, who it appears, are living in a different world not unmindful of the disaster they can cause for their near and dear ones.
Is there need to drive vehicles in drunken state? The police are just carrying out their legal duties to curb the accidents and other dangers the drunken driving unleashes it on the citizens.
Have the “special class” citizens lost their minds? The picture must end with sanity prevailing. Or be prepared for tragedies every day.
