Dehradun: As many as 9,222 motorists were challaned for drunk driving between January and October in the hill state this year, while licences of more than 2,900 riders were recommended for cancellation. According to data with Uttarakhand police, this is a 350% rise in challans for drunk driving from last year.In the corresponding period in 2017, 2,058 motorists were challaned for drunk driving and 416 driving licences were sent to the transport department for cancellation.However, Ashok Kumar, additional director general of police (ADG) law and order, said that the number of drunk driving cases has risen as more drunk drivers were being caught by police.“The rise in prosecution of drunk drivers is a reflection of better enforcement and special drives conducted by police across the state this year. We carried out a month-long campaign against drunk driving in July,” he said. In the state capital alone, 5,000 people were challaned this year for driving in an inebriated condition. In plain districts of Haridwar and US Nagar as well, motorists were challaned for driving under the influence of alcohol. Haridwar recorded 1,915 such offenders while Udham Singh Nagar district registered 660 challans for drunk driving.According to police department data for this year, 36 road accidents in which 19 people died and 56 people were left injured were attributed to drunk driving.Overall, Uttarakhand witnessed 1,191 accidents resulting in 849 deaths between January and October 2018.

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