Nashik: The Nashik Regional Transport Office (RTO) has detected 23 drunk driving cases involving long-distance buses in the past eight months on different highways, including the Samruddhi expressway.According to senior RTO officials, teams of RTO inspectors are working round the clock to check if private bus driversare driving under the influence of alcohol.The teams from the RTO have been deployed at Borgaon on the Nashik-Surat highway and at the Samruddhi expressway, on the stretch from Bharvir to Sinnar.RTO Pradeep Shinde said, RTO officials are checking vehicles, mainly private buses, on the Samruddhi expressway to ensure that the drivers are not driving under the influence of alcohol. Further, the quality of tyres is also being checked to ensure that there are no tyre-bust cases on the expressway, leading to accidents.This year, from April to November-end, the Nashik RTO checked over 9,865 bus drivers on Borgaon Phata and on the Samruddhi expressway. The RTO officials found 23 bus drivers driving under the influence of alcohol. Among them, 7 were found doing so on the Samruddhi expressway.Deputy RTO Prashant Deshmukh said, While cases have been registered against concerned bus drivers, owners of transport companies have been called and told to make arrangements for other drivers. In all the cases of drunk driving, the driving licences of concerned drivers have been suspended.RTO Shinde said that apart from drunk driving cases, they have also been taking action against motorists involved in lane cutting on the Samruddhi expressway, illegal parking on the expressway, overspending etc.Shinde said that action will continue against drunk driving not only on the Samruddhi Expressway but across the district. Continuous action and fines slapped on motorists would eventually bring down traffic violations.He said that action is also being taken against motorists for not wearing helmets or seat belts on the national and state highways.

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