Drive Drunk and Land in Jail in Delhi

Thursday, April 21, 2011

In a drive to control the menace of drunk driving, the Delhi Police has swung into action and started enforcing the relatively new law which is  prevalent in a majority of other civilised nations and has jailed over a thousand people for drunk driving and suspended licenses of over 800 during the current year, sending out a clear warning to DUI drivers to mend their ways or else..  

 'With most of the drunk driving cases resulting in imprisonment besides license suspension and payment of fine, better sense is expected from the people of Delhi,' Joint Commissioner of Delhi Traffic Police Satyendra Garg told reporters on Saturday after  over 300 people were arrested in three hours. 'Continuing our efforts to rein in drunk driving, we had simultaneous checking at 50 locations and got 307 prosecutions in three hours,' Garg told reporters. Out of these, 195 were arrested for drunk driving.

Drunken driving is a non-compoundable offence with those caught sent directly to the court which determines the punishment. According to police, the vehicle is impounded when there is nobody else other than the drunk driver to drive it safely to its location. Driving license is required for handing over the vehicle and the person must not have consumed liquor. The violator is not allowed to drive a vehicle once he is detected to have consumed liquor beyond permissible limits.

Delhi Police is actively campaigning against drunk driving on various forums, including social websites like Facebook. A message posted by Garg on Delhi Traffic Police's Facebook page Friday read: 'The other day a friend of mine surprised me with the revelation that I owed him Rs.10,000. Totally clueless, I asked him to elaborate and he said the other day he had a few drinks in a 5-star hotel and then realised he risked being caught with possibility of DL and jail term. He decided to hire a room and spend a sum which he thought we cost him.'

Over 5,000 people have been challaned  (ticketed)in Delhi this year on charges of drunk driving with 831 landing in jail. According to Delhi police stats, there has been a 250% rise in prosecution in the first three months this year compared to the same period last year-5,017 prosecutions compared to 1,927 till March end in 2010.

"There are a large number of cases of drunk drivers ramming their vehicles into the central verge, poles or trees and killing themselves. There have been cases of the combination of speed and drunk driving."

The law was made strict in September last year as it recognized that driving under the influence of alcohol poses a serious danger to others on the road as well as to co-passengers and the driver. The maximum punishment now is a 6-month jail term plus a fine of Rs 2,000 for the first offence; second offence lands you in jail for up to  two-years with a fine of Rs 3,000 ($70).

The police hope that imprisonment for drunker driving will be a big deterrent. ``We are not taking it casually and we hope people won't take it casually either,`` says Garg. ``Many of the fatal accidents are a result of drunken driving but intensive checking this year has reduced these accidents by 51%,`` according to a news headline report by the national daily, TOI yesterday.

An alcohol level in the blood of more than 0.03 gms of alcohol constitutes drunken driving in most countries, though the earlier liberal standard of 0.08 gms is still prevalent in some countries. Usually, imprisonment can be awarded to anyone found with more than 0.03gm of alcohol but is usually awarded to those registering over 0.1gms.'It`s the court's assessment but most given jail terms of 10 days or more had consumed more than 0.15 gms,' according to a traffic officer who added that people often don't realize that they are driving after drinking too much. 'Many people we have caught have claimed that they were returning from an office party or family celebration and didn't realize that one drink can land them in such trouble,' he added.

DelWine and Indian Wine Academy are avid supporters of the law. DUI (Driving Under Influence) is considered a major offence elsewhere and it is time the drunk drivers get their due punishment. Strict enforcement of the law will act as a deterrent and will keep the drunk drivers under check. Cities like Mumbai apparently already enforce the law which is a state subject. One hopes other states will follow suit. Delhi Police deserves kudos and the gratitude of citizens of Delhi and one hopes it is not a mere drive but becomes a permanent practice.

It is our understanding that up to 2 glasses of wine consumed slowly with food, keeps you under the legal limits and perfectly safe and alert for driving. If you drink more, please choose a Designated Driver, hire a cab or a driver for the evening out

Original news source http://www.indianwineacademy.com/item_5_447.aspx

HC slams police panel over contract for hydraulic cranes

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Delhi High Court flayed the Delhi Police (Traffic) Purchase Committee on Wednesday, describing it as a "committee full of blind people". It made the observation while deciding on a tender for 30 hydraulic cranes, meant for towing luxury cars and SUVs. Besides pulling up the members of the panel, which comprised senior police officers from the Traffic department, it also said the task of floating tenders should be given to people with the required expertise. "This is why technical experts should be there in a committee, and police officers should concentrate on the task of maintaining law and order in the city instead. The outcome is there for anybody to see what happens when policemen go into purchases that involve technical acumen. It certainly has something to do with different minds," a Bench of Justices S K Kaul and Rajiv Shakdher said.

Having "lost confidence" in the committee, the Bench asked the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to appoint an independent auditor to look into the matter. It also directed Commissioner of Police B K Gupta to probe and ensure that "no other petitioner is faced with such a Purchase Committee".

The matter concerned a tender floated by the Delhi Police Purchase Committee in August 2010 for hiring 56 small towing cranes and 40 big hydraulic towing cranes for lifting luxury cars and SUVs. A person called Rajesh Saini was found qualified, and the price bids were opened for hiring 30 cranes. The prices were also negotiated by the committee and it was brought down to Rs 4,750 per day per crane in November 2010. Though unsuccessful bidders filed a writ in the court against Saini, they were dismissed in December 2010, settling all controversies relating to the tender.

However, the committee did not issue the appointment letter for the tender to Saini and, in February, informed him that they wanted to give the contract a second thought — apparently because the cranes offered by Saini were too small.

Saini then filed a writ through advocate P S Bindra, terming the police officers' decision as arbitrary.

Taking it up for the first time on March 18, the Bench summoned the committee's head, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chaddha, and asked him for an explanation.

Though the counsel for the committee tried to convince the court that Saini's rates were inflated and required re-consideration, the Bench stated that the committee had "displayed gross incompetence". It was "horrendous" that they sent the matter for technical review only after negotiating and re-negotiating the prices, it added.

The Bench said though the exercise of floating tenders was to ensure transparency, the present instance had hardly served its purpose. "It was complete non-application of mind as the technical aspects should have been taken into account at the initial stage. One gets the impression that the committee did not know what it was doing," it observed.

The Bench then asked the Police Commissioner to probe the matter, and submit an action-taken report by the next date of hearing in May.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hc-slams-police-panel-over-contract-for-hydraulic-cranes/779027/0

The way ahead: Computerisation

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

To keep a tab on the parking mafia which has been fleecing people, the civic authorities are mulling issuing computerised receipts through the handheld machines and putting up paying meters. The Delhi government has already started work in Lajpat Nagar market where paying meters will be set up to eliminate the need of parking attendants. Use of parking meters will also help in doing away with basic problems such as overcharging and parking more vehicles than the authorised limit.

MCD officials say if the experiment is successful they will implement it in their 293-odd parking lots.

"The maximum complaints that we get from motorists is related to overcharging and to address this problem we do want to start using the handheld machines so that parking attendants are not able to charge money at their own will. The Delhi government is working on such a project and after reviewing it we might also implement it depending on its feasibility," said a senior MCD official.

Tampering with the parking receipt is another major problem through which parking contractors overcharge people. To ensure this does not take place, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is in the process of starting a new system under which smart cards on the lines of Metro Smart cards will be issued to motorists to park their vehicles in Palika Parking. These smart cards can be recharged according to the requirements from single time parking to a monthly pass basis.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/The-way-ahead-Computerisation/Article1-687329.aspx

The way ahead: Computerisation

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The MCD has decided to hand over the parking sites over Khushak and Sunheri canal, built by it before the Commonwealth Games, to the Delhi government for a total annual revenue of Rs 16.8 crore.

The sites, constructed after covering the two nallahs, will be given to the Transport Department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi said in a press statement.

The total annual revenue payable by the Transport Department to MCD for Kushak Nallah site (on southern side of Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium) and Sunheri Nallah site (from CGO culvert to Lala Lajpat Rai Marg) will Rs 16.82 crore.

"The annual revenue payable in respect of parking site at Kushak Nallah covering an area of 57000 sq m is Rs 9.58 crore.

The revenue payable in respect of Sunhari Nallah covering an area of 43000 sq m is Rs 7.24 crore," it said.

The term of allotment shall be nine years subject to renewal on year to year basis, with an enhancement in the fee, depending in the whole-sale price index. The annual revenue shall be payable by the Transport Department in advance for each year of lease. Initially, the Transport Department will pay to the MCD an annual revenue for the parking sites at the rate of Rs 140.04 per square feet per month.

"The land of the parking sites will remain the property of the MCD and the Transport Department will not claim any right, title, or interest," the civic body said.

MCD has asked the Transport Department to deposit the advance annual revenue of Rs 16.82 crore within 10 days from today to enable it to proceed further for formal allotment of parking sites.

Original news source http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5129107

MCD too broke to fix roads, monsoon will be jam season

Monday, April 18, 2011

Sunday's short spell of rain gave Delhiites a good reason to cheer but the coming monsoon won't be that cheerful — especially for commuters. If last year's monsoon was a bad experience for commuters, it's going to be worse this time. The Delhi Traffic Police have identified 339 roads in the city, which if not fixed before the monsoon, can create havoc for motorists and those who use two-wheelers and auto-rikshaws. Of the 339 roads identified as bad, 164 are under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD's) jurisdiction, 103 are managed by the Public Works Department (PWD) and 48 are in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area.

The roads marked as bad include Janpath, Ring Road, Savitri Flyover, East of Kailash, Adchini to Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas Market, Minto Bridge, Kali Bari Marg, RK Ashram Marg and Daryanganj Road. Although most of the roads are in the MCD zone, the civic body may not be able to fix them soon because of a severe cash crunch.

The MCD is yet to pay Rs 250 crore to contractors who handled road projects in the past. The civic body was forced to dump several projects after contractors abandoned work in January.

"We have got a copy of the list (from the traffic police) and will try to finish the work before monsoons. Some stretches need construction of drains. We have asked the Delhi government for funds. We are trying to increase our revenue through property tax payment," said Yogender Chandolia, chairman, MCD's standing committee.

"We have prepared a list of roads where waterlogging can happen because of bad road condition and poor drainage. The civic agencies and departments have been asked to fix the problem," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic). The MCD had last September identified 450 points that needed repair before the monsoon but work on many of these stretches is still on.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/MCD-too-broke-to-fix-roads-monsoon-will-be-jam-season/Article1-686553.aspx

Licence scam in DTC: Vigilance probe ordered

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

After criticism from the traffic police for the increasing number of accidents by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, the corporation is facing heat from within its ranks. Instances of licences that didn't sustain verification have now prompted the DTC to set up an internal vigilance inquiry into licences submitted by over 2,000 drivers. While the inquiry report is still awaited, sources said that initial findings have shown that some of the licences submitted were fakes.

Top sources in the transport department said that the matter came to light some months ago during a routine verification. The official said, "The details submitted (by one of the drivers) showed that the licence had been issued from the state licensing authority in Manipur. But the man had no knowledge of the state. So the issuing authority was contacted for verification, and it was found that no such licence had been issued to the driver." After this incident, several other "suspicious" licences were sent for verification. Sources in the DTC confirmed that one such licence issued from Bulandshahr has already been found to be false. The official added, "The licences which are being verified were issued not only from Manipur and Nagaland but also from the neighbouring states of Haryana, UP and Rajasthan."

Interestingly, a large number of the cases that have come under cloud are of drivers who were recruited through the Delhi State Subordinate Services Board (DSSSB). The recruitment exam for the DSSSB had taken place in 2009 but results were only announced late last year. DTC officials claimed, however, that only a part of the licences being verified were of drivers recruited through the DSSSB. A government official added, "The board doesn't verify the licences from the issuing authority but only tests the skills of the applicant." Sources, however, say that this is the first time that such a large-scale verification of licences has been carried out, especially of those coming in through the board. "It's a serious matter, and we are hoping to weed out the culprits soon," added the official.

Not surprisingly, officially, the department says the verification is a "routine" drive. The official said, "Licences of almost 2,000 drivers are being verified on a routine basis." Sources though claim that the internal vigilance report will be coming in shortly, and that action was expected to be taken as soon as the findings were made available. Meanwhile, the inquiry has put a hiatus on current recruitment in the DTC, admitted officials.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-13/delhi/29413169_1_licence-scam-dtc-officials-delhi-transport-corporation

Metro feeder bus owners cry foul over Gramin Sewa autos

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

After the nine-seater Gramin Seva autos faced flak for plying without driving licenses, overcrowding and dangerous driving, the new complaint against them is plying on routes not assigned to them. The transport department had chalked out 66 routes on which the 5,060 permitted autos can ply. However, complaints poured in from West Enclave in Rani Bagh where these autos were seen plying between Rani Bagh and Britannia Chowk even though no Gramin Sewa Autos have been assigned this route.

Delhi Traffic Police received a complaint from drivers of DMRC feeder buses in the area on Monday evening that several of these Gramin Sewa Autos were plying unchecked in the area, thus taking away commuters the feeder buses cater to. "We deployed traffic personnel to check these claims and found eight such Gramin Sewa Autos plying in the area which have been booked for RC and permit violation and dangerous driving. Four more such autos were impounded on Tuesday morning, but it appears that word had spread following the prosecutions as no more such autos were seen in the area afterwards. If we receive similar complaints from other areas we will certainly take action immediately," said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

Bijan Mukherjee, one of the complainants to the DTP in this regard, said, "We noted the number plates of 44 such autos that were plying on this route and presented them to the traffic cops. We had earlier approached senior traffic cops of our area who had claimed that these Gramin Sewa autos had applied for plying in this route to the transport department and the court, so they were not sure whether to prosecute them. We then decided to approach other senior officers. We will protest at Rohini court on Wednesday, when the auto drivers are supposed to appear in front of the court, as this route is strictly assigned to metro feeder buses. Last month, 70 such Gramin Sewa autos were made to leave the route between Shadipur and Inderpuri by traffic cops. Similar action should have been taken in our area but was not done."

The Sewa was aimed to cater to rural areas where the reach of DTC buses is limited. Accordingly, 66 such routes were chalked out by the transport department in the first week of March and each auto allotted a route. However, with the route assigned to the auto not displayed in the vehicle, it becomes difficult to check for route violations. "A system needs to be in place like the Blueline buses where the route assigned to the auto is displayed prominently. The transport department has uploaded the route numbers assigned to autos, but it is difficult to check route violations in this manner. We were not consulted regarding assigning of routes and the criterion for it," explained a senior traffic police officer.

Original news source http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-13/delhi/29413086_1_gramin-seva-auto-drivers-feeder-buses