Drunk Drive: 383 IT employees booked in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Cyberabad Traffic police have written to companies against 912 professionals, who were booked for drunk driving between January and December 11, 2019.

IT employees score gold for the highest number of drunken driving cases booked against them, i.e. 383. It is closely followed by other corporate employees numbering 316, and the number of college student booked is 95.

Out of the 383 letters, addressed to IT companies, only a handful — in single digits — have responded, citing action taken as per company policy. Meanwhile, the remaining has maintained a gag over the issue.

The letter addressed to companies read, “Your (referring to the company) employee was caught in a drunken-driving case on (date) and (time). The person has undergone counselling, and they are produced before the court. He/she was sentenced to imprisonment. Being an educated person, IT employees need to follow traffic rules and thereby lead the way.”

The last letter addressed was to Cognizant, against Abhilash Pedakotla. The latter is responsible for the first death on the biodiversity flyover. Abhilash, a Kukatpally resident, was travelling in a drunken condition on November 10. His car (Hyundai i20, license no TS08 FY 1069) hit a bike from behind, killing two on the spot and injuring four.

A traffic constable, serving at Madhapur Police, station told NewsMeter that most IT employees get booked on Jubilee Hills Road no 45, besides Madhapur and Kondapur. “A few were found with BAC (Blood Alcohol) levels beyond 150 mg/ml during weekends, against the permissible limits of 30 mg/ml. We seize the vehicles to avoid accidents. We ask them to appear for counselling and, later, we produce them before the court.”

Before candidates are produced before the court, traffic cops advise them not to seek legal help (hire advocates), especially for those whose BAC levels are below 100 mg/ml. Following several judgments, we can observe that those with BAC level less than 100mg/ml are let off with a fine. However, candidates, influenced by the fear of imprisonment, resort to legal help and end up spending thousands.

Meanwhile, college students bag bronze for drunken driving cases. In this case, the Cyberabad traffic police write to institutions besides informing the concerned individuals’ parents. However, there has been a lukewarm response from the college end, cops say.