Drunk driving on New Year eve? Chennai cops won't give NOC for passport

Chennai: City police seem to have found a solution to curb overspeeding and drunk driving on city roads on during New Year eve - a menace that endangers lives of riders and public every year. The top brass of the city police has informed that details of traffic violators on New Year's eve will be kept in the commissioner's office and if the violator applies for passport, police "No objection Certificate" (NOC) will be denied.

"Since most of the traffic violators on New Year eve are youngsters in their early and late 20s, we believe this announcement will act as a deterrent," a senior police officer said. Unruly motorcyclists has been a recurrence more often resulting in fatal accidents and grievous injuries on New Year day.

Most of the accidents on New Year’s eve are reported between 9 pm and 3 am, a police officer noted adding that all flyovers and bridges in the city will be closed for traffic from 11 30 pm on December 31 to 3 am on January 1, 2018.

“Public are supposed to use service lanes under the flyovers,” the officer added. Accident prone stretches in the city have been identified such as Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR), East Coast Road, Kamarajar Salai and the roads would be heavily barricaded with blinkers. City police have planned to put up 176 vehicle checkpoints and about 3,500 traffic personnel would be deployed on duty across the city. Service roads along the city beaches - Marina and Elliots - will be closed for traffic and separate parking spots will be allotted, police said.