Now drunk drivers face community service in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: In an initiative of shaming those caught in drunk n’ drive case, the Hyderabad traffic police made them do community service like sweeping the roads. 

The metropolitan magistrate court at Erramanzil has sentenced 35 drunk drivers to perform community service.  The new jurisdiction involves guilty drivers –after paying a fine of Rs 2,000 — to stand at road junctions for three hours holding placards and distributing pamphlets to spread awareness about road safety over a period of three days.

This is the latest “soft punishment” for being caught with slightly high levels of blood alcohol content. Those which high alcohol content face up to 30 days in jail.

“People were scared all this while to drink and drive because they might land in prison. They feel that their future might get spoilt if this happens. Even if somebody went to prison nobody knew about it unlike this one. Imagine, a person from well-to-do family actually standing near junction with a placard. This is more about embarrassing them so that they would not repeat the offence again,” said a senior Hyderabad traffic police official.

As part of the social service, the traffic officials will even take the violators to government hospitals. They have to engage in whatever chores are assigned to them by the supervisor of the hospital.