New Year night regulations: Auto/cab drivers can’t refuse rides, pubs asked to stop drunken driving

Hyderabad: In view of the New Year celebrations on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, 2024, restrictions and guidelines are issued in the public interest by Cyberabad Traffic Police. Organisations and groups such as pubs and drivers have also been asked to keep the rules in mind, especially the ones related to not letting drunk people behind the wheel and not refusing any hire.

1. Closure of certain roads:

- The Nehru Outer Ring Road (ORR) will be closed for light motor vehicles except the vehicles bound towards the airport from 10 pm to 5 am.

- The PVNR Express Way will be closed for vehicles except for the vehicles bound towards the airport from 10 pm to 5 am.

- The following flyovers will be closed for all vehicular and pedestrian movement from 11 pm to 5 am:

Shilpa Layout flyover, Gachibowli flyover, Bio-diversity flyovers 1 & 2, Shaikpet flyover, Mindspace flyover, Road No 45 flyover and Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge, Cyber tower flyover, Forum Mall-JNTU Flyover, Khaithlapur flyover, Babu Jagjivan Ram flyover (Balanagar) and AMB Flyover (Kondapur).

2. Cabs/taxi/auto rickshaw operators

- The drivers/operators of cabs/taxis/auto rickshaws shall be in proper uniform and carry all their documents.

- They shall not refuse ride on hire to any public. It is a violation of Section 178 of the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988. A penalty of Rs 500 will be imposed in the form of an e-challan on such refusal to ply. The public may send such complaints to us on WhatsApp at 9490617346 with details of vehicle, time, place, etc.

- They shall not misbehave with the public or demand excess fares.

3. Establishments for recreation

- Any bar/pub/club etc., knowingly or negligently allowing their customers/associates to drive under the influence of alcohol after consuming alcohol in their premises will be dealt with strictly as per law and the concerned management will be prosecuted for abetting the crime.

- They shall strictly educate their customers/associates on the consequences of drunk driving and also shall make alternative arrangements for travel. They shall stop drunk persons from driving a vehicle from their premises.

4. General Public

- Special cameras have been installed to detect dangerous violations like overspeeding, driving on the wrong route, signal jumping, rash driving, and riding without a helmet, etc., If anyone is found violating these violations, they will be identified through cameras and strict action will be taken.

- Extensive checks for drunk driving will be conducted across all roads in the Cyberabad limits starting from 8 pm.

- The vehicles will be taken for temporary safe custody on non-production of documents.

- The vehicle drivers must stop and show the documents and also obey the instructions of Traffic Police on public roads as per law. Any obstruction to the duties of Traffic Police may lead to action as per law.

- Minors driving or driving without a valid driving license will lead to detention of the vehicle and the owner and driver both will be prosecuted in the court of law.

- On such seizure of the vehicles, the citizens shall have to make arrangements for further travel.

- Usage of high-decibel sound/music systems in the vehicles is prohibited and vehicles will be detained and sent to RTO for further action.

- Driving vehicles without number plates will also lead to detention of vehicles and such vehicles will also be sent to RTO.

- Overcrowding in vehicles/traveling on top of vehicles/creating a nuisance in public places will also lead to strict action as per law.

- Traffic Police will be booking appropriate cases against rash driving, overspeeding, excessive honking, dangerous driving, triple/multiple riding, etc.

- The public shall exercise caution, and self-responsibility while driving on public roads and travel safely.

5. Consequences of drunk driving

- The DD cases under section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 will be booked against each one of the drunk drivers and all of them will be sent to court in due time.

- A penalty of Rs 10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to six months for the first offense and a penalty of Rs 15,000 and/or imprisonment of up to two years for a second or subsequent offense.

- Also, all their driving licenses will be seized and sent to concerned RTOs for suspension as per section 19 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

- For the first offense, the DL will be suspended for three months, and for the second and subsequent offenses, the DL will be revoked permanently making the person ineligible to drive in India.

- Further, if any person commits a road accident and causes the death of anybody by driving under the influence of alcohol, a criminal case will be booked under section 304 part-II of IPC (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and arrested and sent to jail.

The public is requested to make their travel plans accordingly and cooperate with the Traffic Police on duty.