Chennai: The City police’s efforts to make this New Year’s Eve free of fatal accidents seemed to have borne fruit as, according to them, no fatal accident was reported in Chennai between 10 pm on Sunday and 3 am on Monday — the first hours of the first day of 2018.
The police believe a mishap free night was due to their announcement a week ago that the details of traffic violators on New Year’s Eve — especially those indulging in drunk driving and speeding - would be kept in the commissioner’s office and if the violator applies for a passport the police would deny him the “No objection Certificate” (NOC).
Apart from the announcement, City police ensured the personnel on the ground were prepared to prevent revelries from becoming tragic. As many as 10,000 policemen, including senior police officers, were on the ground since Sunday evening, police said.
Apart from the usual security measures at crowded spots, city police also used four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) at Marina and Kamarajar Salai to monitor the crowds. Noting that most of the accidents on NYE were reported between 9 pm and 3 am, the police this time ensured that all flyovers and bridges in the city were closed to traffic from 11.30 pm on December 31 to 3 am on January 1.
However, the measures didn’t deter the adventurous among the motorists who indulged in drunk driving on city roads.
“Thirty-six special camps were set up across the city in which our personnel detained motorists who indulged in drunk driving and let them off after they were deemed safe enough to ride. Our personnel also counselled them about the ill effects of drunk driving”, a senior traffic police officer said. In all, eleven accident cases were registered during the New Years Eve celebrations, police said.
