SHILLONG: The road accidents due to drunken driving in Meghalaya for the last five years have killed more persons than those who were killed during the 20 years of insurgency.
UDP legislator Paul Lyngdoh made this observation in Assembly on Thursday during Question Hour as 463 persons were killed during the past five years from 2010 till 2014, and 1772 injured as per the statement provided by Home Minister Roshan Warjri.
Warjri said that as many as 557 persons were booked and several persons charge sheeted for drunk driving for the last five years.
According to Warjri, there is no definite study to indicate the reason for the increase in drunk driving.
She also said that besides regular checking by the mobile courts and patrol teams, the excise department carries out raids to prevent the sale of illicit liquor.
Raising supplementary questions, Lyngdoh pointed that that the drivers are either un-authorized, under aged or they do not hold any license adding to the road accidents.
The UDP legislator also brought to the notice of the House the drinking habits of the drivers at the parking lots in parts of the city. In reply, the Minister assured that the matter will be checked. Lyngdoh wanted to know the total number of mobile courts functioning in the state as he informed the House that there was no mobile court all along Shillong-Sohra route.
As far as the enforcement of law is concerned, Lyngdoh said that the traffic personnel do not work beyond 8 pm where as the cases of drunken driving were reported even at 2 am.
In reply, Warjri said the department had issued a notification that the SP or the SP (Traffic) will also be road safety managers.
To a supplementary question by Titus Chyne (UDP) on the liquor shops doing business all along the National Highways, the Home Minister said that the Cabinet had recently made a decision reviewing distance of setting up of wine shops.
