Onus on outlets serving liquor to check drunken driving: Cops

Establishments here serving liquor on New Year eve will be held responsible if their patrons are found driving in an inebriated state.
This is part of guidelines issued by Mumbai Police to curb drunken driving among New Year revellers.
In another decision, Maharashtra Government has allowed hotels, bars and restaurants serving liquor to remain open till 5 AM on Thursday.
According to police, these establishments will have to ensure that customers who consume liquor in their premises do not drive their vehicles once they come out.
They have asked hotels, bars and restaurants to arrange vehicles for inebriated customers or drop them home if they do not have driver or anyone else to accompany them.

If the advisory is disobeyed, the establishments concerned will face appropriate legal action, warned Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) BK Upadhyay.

"If a drunken-driving incident occurs, we will check as to in which hotel/bar the individual in question consumed alcohol. The owner/supervisor of that establishment will be booked for not stopping the customer from committing an offence despite having knowledge that he is drunk and should not drive," he said today.
While they will come down heavily on offenders as part of a campaign against drunken driving, the traffic police have also decided to reward motorists who are not drunk by giving them roses on December 31 night, the IPS officer said.

The campaign will be in full force between 10 PM and 5 AM, police said, adding all checkpoints will have cops armed with speedometers and breathe analysers.
Their areas of focus will be Juhu beach, Marine Drive, Gateway of India, Carter Road and Versova beach among others, which are frequented by revellers in large numbers.