47 jailed for drunk driving in Ongole

Tirupati: A local court in Ongole of Prakasam district has sentenced 47 persons to two-day imprisonment for drunken driving.

According to additional superintendent of police (Admin) K. Nageswara Rao, 48 persons had been arrested during vehicle checks within the limits of police stations in Ongole on Saturday. 47 of them have been imprisoned for two days and the remaining person has been fined ₹5,000.

Nageswara Rao pointed out that as per law, driving licences of those found driving in an inebriated condition can be cancelled for up to three months to clamp down on drunken driving.

Referring to the No Accident Day drive being organised on Saturdays in all police stations in the district to prevent mishaps, the ASP said that the move has yielded good results. Deaths in road accidents during 2022 dropped by 32 percent and road accidents by 25 percent when compared to 2021.

Nageswara Rao said a major reason for road accidents is drunken driving. He appealed to people that they follow traffic rules and avoid drunken driving in their own interest.

Prakasam district police, under directions of SP Malika Garg, have intensified vehicle checking to curb road accidents, he added.