At a drunken driving naka at IT Park in Chandigarh. (Express Archives) At a drunken driving naka at IT Park in Chandigarh. (Express Archives) THE CHANGED naka strategy of UT traffic police and a vigil on traffic police personnel have ensured that every caught person is slapped a challan, shows a comparison of drink-driving challans done in the first four months of 2017 and 2018. The mobile naka strategy, in which locations of nakas changed randomly during night hours, was adopted in December last year and it is being followed successfully. As many as 1,052 people were challaned for drunken driving between January 1, 2017 and April 21, 2017 while 2,350 people have been challaned between January 1, 2018, and April 21, 2018. The figures of overall challans involving other traffic offences have also increased in the first four months of 2018 in comparison to first four months of 2017. SSP (traffic) Shashank Anand said, “There are several reasons behind the increasing challans of drunken driving but as per our observation, the mobile nakas is the main reason. The other reason is location of installation of nakas. Timing of nakas was increased and tight vigil on the challaning officers for ensuring that they challan every person caught for drunken driving. Earlier, there were reports that people caught for traffic offences are let out without issuing challan. We introduced bodyworn cameras, which keep tabs on the movement of traffic police personnel.” SSP Anand said, “We have challaned 53,123 vehicles in 2018 from January 1 to April 21. Ironically, in 2017, we had challaned 28,789 vehicles between January 1 and April 21. Drunken driving challans are also included in these figures.” The other traffic offences include driving without helmets, driving without seat belts, tripple riding, rash and negligent driving, wrong parking, zebra crossing, and using mobile while driving. As many as 1,855 driving licences were recommended for cancellation to the Registration and Licensing Authorities (RLAs) of UT, Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. Police sources said so far, traffic police department was receiving feedback from RLA branch of Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana. Traffic police recommends cancellation of driving lincences for five specific offences: drunken driving, red light jump, driving the vehicles at a speed exciding the specified limit, using mobile while driving and driving without seatbelt. A traffic police officer said, “Carrying overload in goods carriage and carrying persons in goods carriages is also an offence, in which driving licence is suspended but challans in this category are issued by State Transport Authority.” For all the latest Chandigarh News, download Indian Express App

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