Tirunelveli City Police start screening omnibus drivers with breathalyzers

Tirunelveli City Police use breathalysers to check omnibus drivers for alcohol consumption, ensuring passenger safety on overnight journeys.

The Tirunelveli City Police, as promised to the travelling public, have started checking the drivers of omnibuses going to far-off destinations with breathalysers to find if they were under the influence of alcohol while manoeuvring the vehicles during overnight journey.

After a video showing an intoxicated Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus driver struggling to manoeuvre the vehicle, who halted the bus on the road at one point before lying down on one of the passengers’ seat, was shared on social media, Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli City, and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tirunelveli Range (In-Charge) Santosh Hadimani instructed the Superintendents of Police of Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari to organize random checking of the drivers using breathalysers for consumption of alcohol while on duty.

This instruction assumed more meaning in the next few days when an omnibus driver, under the influence of alcohol, hit a bike and an autorickshaw in Nagercoil Town and got detained along with the vehicle, thanks to the policemen deployed near the spot.

Mr. Santosh Hadimani, before starting the drive, instructed the companies operating the omni buses to check every day their drivers for consumption of alcohol while on duty. He also made it clear to the bus company managements that the intoxicated driver would not be allowed to operate the bus if he had consumed alcohol while on duty and hence the companies would be doubly cautious in this connection in the best interest of their passengers.

Since the omnibuses would usually take the passengers near Veinthankulam new bus stand and near the Vannarpet flyover in Palayamkottai, two teams of policemen, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Ashok Kumar, with the breathalyzers were deployed to check the drivers and the assistants of more than 40 omni buses.

“We’ll screen the drivers with breathalysers almost everyday as we’ve to ensure the safety of the passengers. If a driver is found to be under the influence of alcohol, a fine of ₹10,000 will be slapped on him besides registering case against him. If a case is registered, he’ll be removed from service by their management and finding the new job will become impossible. Hence, the drivers should have clean habits and take utmost care in the safety of their passengers,” Mr. Ashok Kumar told the drivers.

The drive did not find any drunk drivers on last Sunday. The traffic wing police said screening of the truck and the van drivers would also commence shortly at vantage points like toll plazas as instructed by Mr. Santosh Hadimani.