Ranchi: As a series of fatal road accidents rocked the state capital this week, senior police officials took to the streets on Thursday night to carry out an intensive drive against rash and drunk driving, while also reviewing the ground-level preparedness of the police force to curb occurrences of such incidents.A total of six people were fined for drunk driving, and one for using modified silencers on his bike, SP (traffic) Rakesh Singh told TOI.
The operation, led under the supervision of the SSP (Ranchi) Rakesh Ranjan, saw participation from the city, rural and traffic SPs. The team visited multiple prominent locations across the city, particularly accident-prone stretches and busy arterial roads, where vehicles were stopped, and drivers checked for alcohol consumption, overspeeding and other traffic violations.The officers also visited the city’s Main Road, Kantatoli, Lalpur Chowk, Doranda, Kanke Road, and Argora Chowk, among other spots, to conduct the crackdown and take action against motorists found flouting traffic norms.“They were fined for traffic rule violations, and action was initiated against them. However, beyond imposing penalties, the exercise was primarily aimed at assessing and strengthening the preparedness of the police to prevent such accidents. Multiple locations, particularly areas with bars where people often consume alcohol before indulging in rash driving, were identified so that checking could be intensified and the motorists deterred from drunk and reckless driving,” SP (traffic) Rakesh Singh added.Earlier on Thursday, SSP Rakesh Ranjan convened a meeting and directed the police force to take action against the ongoing rash driving and stunts in the district. He also directed the force to keep a close eye on overspeeding vehicles during night hours and put sliders and barricades at prominent locations to curb the menace.Following the directive, police installed barricades and sliders at several locations, including Lalpur–Kokar Road, Kanke Road and Main Road, to create a safer and more secure environment for both motorists and pedestrians.A motorist, Sanjay Prakash, said, “Installation of barricades was a much-needed initiative at the Distillery Pool on the Lalpur-Kokar Road, where the collision between a four-wheeler and an e-rickshaw took place on Thursday. However, the police install it only after the fatal accident. Nevertheless, it is better late than never.”
