.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
A campaign has been launched on crowd funding platform Milaap to raise Rs 20 lakh to help a family, which lost three of its members in drunk driving accident while three others are still in hospital.
The July 1 accident in Banjara Hills here claimed lives of 10-year-old Pammi Ramya, her uncle P. Rajesh and her grandfather P. Madhusudhan Chary.
Ramya's mother Radhika, uncle P. Ramesh and another relative were critically injured and undergoing treatment in a hospital.
While Ramya's father Venkat works with Capgemeni, he is not in a position to afford the entire medical expense estimated to be around Rs 20 lakh.
A campaign has started on Milaap.org to support Venkat in his tragic time by raising funds to pay the medical bills.
People interested in supporting can visit here to make their donations.
The campaign has helped raised Rs.3.78 lakh during last three days.
The tragedy struck his family when they were returning home in their car after Ramya's first day at her school.
Their car was hit by another car driven by Shraveel, an engineering student who was allegedly drunk and driving along with five of his friends, who were present in the car when the accident took place.
Shraveel was arrested after the mishap.
Rajesh, 35, who was driving Santro, died on the spot while Ramya, 10, who was declared brain dead, succumbed on July 9. Chary succumbed on July 18.
Following outrage on social media, the Hyderabad police also stepped up their checks against drunken driving across the city.
In this new initiative, called “Designate a driver”, in each group visiting a pub, one person would be chosen to drive all others home at the end of the evening. This person will then be given a wrist band that identifies them as the driver, and no alcohol would be served to him or her. At the end of the night, only the person with the band will be allowed to drive the vehicle.
Deputy Commissioner Ranganath earlier told TNM, “This concept is already being followed by western countries. We requested the pub owners to implement this strictly and they welcomed this idea but also expressed some issues to bring this into practice. We are looking into those problems as well.”
He added that in cases where a single person on a two-wheeler enters the bar, “that person will be asked to drop his two-wheeler in the premises and take a cab service, which most of the city pubs are providing.”
City police and excise officials have also intensified inspections in various pubs in the city and issued strict orders to owners of pubs not to provide alcohol to minors.
Inputs IANS