After the war on drugs, now Nagpur City Police has decided to train its radar on traffic violations with the aim to bring down the rate of accidents to ensure there are no fatalities. Announcing the aim, Commissioner of Police Dr Ravinder Kumar Singal said the cops are launching Operation U Turn wherein the focus remains on reining in rash drivers and cracking down on other traffic violations. Interacting with mediapersons at Police Bhavan on Thursday, the city police chief informed that there was a drop of 20.22 per cent in road mishaps in city during the current year till June as compared to previous year. So to continue with the good work, time had come to discipline the wayward traffic in city. Roads should be safe and they would when people follow the rules, averred Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Lohit Matani.

 

The cops are not just aiming to impose fines, but at the same time, they would also strive to create awareness among citizens on maintaining road discipline. Only a disciplined society can ensure that there are no mishaps on the roads. Commissioner said, a common problem that had come to notice was drunken driving and this trend needs to be curbed. So, an action plan has been drawn wherein nakabandi at select spots on mass scale would be undertaken by the cops. About 33 vulnerable spots and high traffic zones had been identified where intensive checks were going to start forthwith tomorrow onwards, he added and asked citizens to take note of the same.

 

The cops at Nakabandi points would use breath analysers to ensure no person was driving under the influence of liquor. The violators would be booked under Section 185 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, as this time, police wanted the offenders to know that they would not be let off by just paying fines. Besides, a centralised data base would be compiled so that repeat offenders, especially those caught in drunken driving case, would be prosecuted under Section 130 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sahita (BNS).

 

This implied intention to commit Culpable Homicide not Amounting to Murder, wherein the onus shifted on offender to prove himself not guilty. DCP Matani said, the cops would be reaching permit rooms and pubs to impress upon people not to venture out for a drive after gulping down liquor. Similarly, the city police chief said, the cops would also invoke power to recommend suspension of driving licenses of those caught driving under the influence of liquor. Awareness campaign would be undertaken in colleges and corporates offices to sensitise people to follow the rules in toto. Sharing the comparative figures of mishaps of previous year and current year for period from January to June, Commissioner of Police said that, there was a drop in fatal accidents, from previous 178 to 142 in 2025. Along with this, fatalities also reduced from previous high of 171 to 126, which came to a drop of 21.13 per cent. Senior officers of Nagpur Police Commissionerate were also present at the media interaction.