A total of 5,819 persons in the Hyderabad district had their driving licences suspended in 2022, according to transport department officials. The figure indicates a big rise compared to 2021, when 2,599 licences were suspended in Hyderabad throughout the year. The licences are suspended for various offences under The Motor Vehicles Act, such as drunk driving, rash driving, overspeeding and causing accidents, said Hyderabad district transport officer J Pandurang Naik.
The suspended licence usually remains with the authority who has seized it for a period of six months, and is then returned to its owner, the official said. Those who drive while their licence is suspended will be treated similarly to those driving without a licence and penalised accordingly, he added.
Meanwhile, Cyberabad police said that between the night of December 31, 2022 and January 1 morning, 2023, a total of 1,314 persons were booked for driving under the influence of alcohol. Among them, 1,045 were on two-wheelers, 242 in four-wheelers, 21 in auto rickshaws and six truck drivers. Their driving licences will also be seized and sent to the concerned Regional Transport Authorities (RTAs) for suspension as per Section 19 of The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (Power of licensing authority to disqualify from holding a driving licence or revoke such licence).
While the permissible level for driving in India is 30mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, among the persons caught driving drunk on New Year’s Eve, only 150 people had an alcohol reading under 50 mg/100 ml of blood. Around 731 persons had an alcohol reading of more than 100 mg/100 ml of blood. Nearly 76 persons were found to have blood alcohol content of more than 300 mg/100 ml of blood, and 14 persons had more than 500 mg/100 ml, police said. Most of the cases were reported in Kukatpally, Gachibowli, Madhapur, Miyapur and Kukatpally Housing Board Colony areas.