NEW DELHI: Northeastern states including Meghalaya, which practise prohibition from time to time, have reported increased number of drunken driving cases often leading to serious accidents resulting in death and injury to many, official sources said.
Meghalaya recorded 132 cases of accidents in 2017, up from a mere 35 in 2016, according to official data.
It is an irony that Nagaland, which is officially a dry state, had the highest number of accidents due to ‘drunken driving’ or driving under the influence (DUI) among the smaller states in India in 2017, according to the data provided in Parliament on July 4.
After Nagaland, Assam with 373 cases had the highest accidents attributed to drunken driving.
All other Northeastern states had double digit figures, but Tripura has the lowest with11 cases in 2017.
As per the data, based on the information received from police departments of states/UTs, Nagaland presented a whopping 7750 per cent increase in DUI cases between 2015 and 2017 (2 in 2015, 157 in 2017). The percentage change from 2016 to 2017 (13-157) was 1107.69 per cent.
The information given by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), in response to a question in the Lok Sabha, did not specify the reasons behind the drastic jump in the number of accidents. Nagaland has been ‘dry’ for nearly three decades since the passing of the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989.
state besides occasional arrest of drug peddlers and suppliers.
Drug related crimes like theft, robbery and even killings are also taking place. Not just the law enforcing agencies, many a time locality vigilant groups have also apprehended drug peddlers and handed them over to the police.
Informing that he had recently held a meeting with the Synjuk Ki Rangbahshnong on the issue, Shylla said, “They have requested the state government to enact stringent laws and not to release the offenders easily as has been the trend”.
Stressing on the importance of rehabilitation, the minister said that the state is government will come up with a rehabilitation centre soon and the health department is currently on the lookout for land for the purpose.
He further appealed for a holistic approach from the line departments to combat the menace.
