A total of 3571 persons were booked for driving under the influence of alcohol in the past week under Cyberabad police limits in Hyderabad. On Sunday alone, 346 persons were apprehended for the offence, the Cyberabad police said. During the drunk and drive check carried out on Sunday, police registered cases against 237 two-wheelers, 100 cars and nine auto rickshaws. A majority of cases (69 and 62) were registered in the Information Technology (IT) areas of Gachibowli and Madhapur respectively, while Balanagar recorded the least number of cases at 16.
Among the offenders, most of them had blood alcohol content (BAC) between 50-99 mg per 100 ml of blood. The legal limit of the BAC is 30 mg per 100 ml of blood. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939, “Driving by a drunken person or by a person under the influence of drugs; Whoever while driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle or riding or attempting to ride, a motorcycle, (a) has in his blood, alcohol in any quantity, howsoever small the quantity may be or (b) is under the influence of a drug to such an extent as to be incapable of exercising proper control over the vehicle shall be punishable for the first offence with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees or with both.”
For a second or subsequent offence, committed within three years of the previous offence, the law suggests imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years.
”According to the Cyberabad police, between December 27 to January 4, Madhapur police registered 714 cases followed by Gachibowli at 709, Kukatpally at 515, Rajendranagar at 303, Alwal at 274, Miyapur at 268, Shamshabad at 200 and Balanagar 173.
During a special drive on New Year’s eve, the Cyberabad police registered 931 cases.