HC directive to curb drunk driving

Drivers may end up attending AA meetings

Chandigarh, August 11 - Mixing drinks with driving may see you wind up in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. You may even lose your licence. For, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has made clear its intentions of applying brakes to the menace of drunk driving by directing the magistrates to ask sozzled drivers to attend a fixed number of meetings at the AA.

Driving home the message against drunk driving, Justice Rajive Bhalla has asserted: “A person driving under the influence of liquor endangers his life, as also the life of others, and, therefore, must be dealt with without any misplaced sense of equity or indulgence.

“The magistrates may, while exercising their discretion in matters of sentence, consider releasing offenders on strict probation and refer them to organisations like Alcoholics Anonymous for attending a fixed number of meetings. A magistrate may also pass orders for the suspension of the driver’s licence.”

Justice Bhalla also directed the removal of all encroachments on the land beneath the Zirakpur flyover. “Counsel for the National Highways Authority of India states that the concessionaire has identified two agencies to beautify the area under the flyover. The matter shall be forwarded to the ministry concerned for necessary approval. The approvals be obtained preferably within fortnight, as land beneath the flyover is being gradually encroached upon by street vendors,” Justice Bhalla added.

The hearing also brought to fore the State of Punjab’s stand against allowing new building to face the highways. “The State of Punjab has no objection if the buildings to be constructed on the land abutting the highways face away from the highways. As buildings that abut the state and national highways, particularly factories, malls, hotels, motels, colonies, group housing societies, banquet halls, etc. are granted licences by GMADA or PUDA, it will be appropriate to seek their response with respect to the decision taken by the Chief Secretary,” Justice Bhalla asserted.

Referring to an affidavit, Justice Bhalla said the work on setting up a bus stop at Zirakpur was likely to be completed by May, 2012 after commencing in September.

Asking the State of Punjab and other respondents to file an affidavit “as to how they propose to regulate the buses halting in Zirakpur till the bus stop is functional”, Justice Bhalla directed the authorities concerned to “ensure that this bus stop does not lead to the parking of rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, buses and private vehicles”. Justice Bhalla directed: “Parking shall be provided within the precincts of the bus stop”.