18 March,2014 09:16 AM IST | | Shashank Rao
20,845 cases of were registered between Friday and Monday for other offences including rash driving, driving without helmets and errant parking this weekend
The spirit of inebriated revelry spilled onto the streets this weekend, resulting in unruly driving and keeping traffic cops on their toes. Between March 14 and 17, the Mumbai traffic police arresting as many as 777 motorists for driving under the influence.
A traffic policeman lunges at a driver at Matunga Bridge, in course of a drive to crack down on unruly driving on Monday. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi
The traffic police nabbed thousands of errant motorists in course of drives and nakabandis they conducted across Mumbai through the extended weekend. According to figures mentioned by the Mumbai Traffic Police, 20,845 motorists were nabbed for different traffic related offences between Friday and Monday.
The traffic police nabbed an errant motorist during a nakabandi drive yesterday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
"This is a grave issue as people continue to breach traffic rules. There were several two-wheelers with three riders," said a traffic official, who was patrolling the streets. The traffic police kicked off the drives on Friday, in anticipation of unruly driving in the Holi weekend.
And they were right on Friday itself, 87 people were caught for drink driving, while 6,406 motorists were caught for different offences, including rash driving, errant parking, driving in vehicles with tinted glasses and riding two-wheelers without their helmets.
Between Friday and Monday, the highest number of traffic offences was registered on Friday. As the weekend progressed, the numbers started declining, but cases of drink driving rose simultaneously. On Rang Panchami yesterday, drink driving peaked, with 491 offenders being nabbed by 7 pm.
