With over 13,000 police personnel on the streets of Mumbai for bandobast duty during the New Year celebrations, they successfully managed to maintain the law and order situation. To steadily curb menaces or any untoward incidents, nakabandis and spot assessments were conducted by the police, during which several helmet-less, drunk-driving drivers were penalized by the city traffic police.
283 people penalised for drunk driving
A total of 283 people were penalized for driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol, including two-wheeler and four-wheeler vehicles, said police officials on Monday. The figures have gone up this year, as only 156 were penalized for the same offence last year.
In total, police personnel were deployed at 112 locations during New Year's Eve, as part of bandobast, and on the night, 9025 two-wheelers and four-wheelers were inspected by them. Out of these, 1090 drivers (of two-wheelers) were penalized for driving without a helmet. 320 vehicles and their owners were penalized for wrong-side driving, while 80 were for rash driving. 310 vehicles were penalized for jumping signals, while 299 four-wheelers were penalized for driving without wearing seatbelts. 271 autos and taxis, collectively, were penalized for refusing fares to passengers. Meanwhile, 107 two-wheelers were penalized for driving triple seats.
1,119 vehicles penalized for wrong parking
In the case of parking, 1,119 vehicles were penalized for parking in a manner that caused danger, obstruction and inconvenience to other vehicles or at no-parking zones. All violators were penalized under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules, said top traffic officials.
Special checking, blockages and security arrangements were conducted at Gateway of India, Girgaum Chowpatty, Marine Drive, starting from Sunday night to Monday morning, as many crowds were visiting to ring in the New Year. Similarly, religious places like Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbadevi Temple, Mount Mary Church (Bandra), and other popular spots were too guarded by cops to avoid any untoward incidents.
150 police officers, 1,200 staff employed to avoid traffic congestion
To avoid traffic congestion, Mumbai Traffic Police deployed 150 police officers and 1,200 police staff who helped to decongest and regulate traffic movements across the city.
The squads who were at the toes were the Quick Response Team, State Reserve Police Force, Riot Control Police, and Home Guards, along with Mumbai Police, Mumbai Traffic Police, and senior-level officials, who were deployed extensively at every street of the city for vigilance.
