New Year 2024: Will Pune Police Utilise Breath Analysers This Year Amidst Ongoing COVID-19 Concerns?

As the new year approaches amidst an uptick in COVID-19 cases, Pune gears up for its annual New Year's Eve celebrations. With people eagerly anticipating the festivities, some choose to revel in the city's clubs and pubs, while others seek unique and offbeat experiences. However, the recurring concern of drink and drive cases remains paramount for the police.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, the key question for Pune Police is whether they will use breath analysers to detect drink and drive cases. DCP Vijay Magar shared, "This year, we aim to increase monitoring of drunk driving through checkpoints, patrolling, and strategic roadblocks in the city. Understanding that alcohol consumption by young people can cause disturbances, our focus is not only on curbing drunk driving but also on preventing criminal and illegal activities. Additionally, we will closely watch for vehicle thefts, rash driving, and other illegal activities."

DCP Magar confirmed that his teams will use breath analysers for effective detection.

Maximum drink and drive cases in Koregaon Park

The Pune Police traffic branch launched a special campaign against drunk, rash, and triple-seat driving from December 21 to January 1. "We took action against 414 people for drunk driving, 2,900 for rash driving, and 1,360 for triple-seat violations. The Regional Transport Office (RTO), Pune, has suspended the driving licenses of 985 violators based on a proposal from the traffic branch," reported Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Vijaykumar Magar.

Sharing the results, DCP Magar mentioned that Koregaon Park had the highest cases at 132, followed by 34 in the Sinhagad area. Notably, Loni Kalbhor and Khadki reported zero cases. The actions were taken between January 1 and December 21 this year.

As a proactive measure, breath analysers have already been distributed to city officials ahead of Christmas, underlining the city's commitment to ensuring a safe and responsible festive season.