The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Police put revellers on notice

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Thursday, Dec 25, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Police put revellers on notice

Staff Reporter

Night patrolling intensified for Christmas-New Year season

Patrols to cover all churches under their jurisdiction
More police officials deployed at Kovalam

Thiruvananthapuram: The police have stepped up night patrolling in the city in view of the Christmas-New Year season.

Officials said additional policemen and vehicles had been deployed to ensure the safety of families attending late night prayers in churches in the city. Police patrols had been asked to cover all churches in their area of jurisdiction.

Those who consume liquor and create nuisance in public places will be booked. Consumption of liquor in public places and inside vehicles will be discouraged, a senior official said.

Additional policemen, including plainclothesmen and women, will be posted in strength at Kovalam, the hub of New Year celebrations in the city.

The police will not interfere in celebrations or harass revellers. But those who cause public nuisance or violate the rights of others, particularly tourists and families, under the pretext of partying will be arrested.

Hoteliers at Kovalam have been asked to admit only genuine guests and report the presence of troublemakers or suspicious characters.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, M. Gopalakrishnan will oversee the security arrangements for New Year’s eve celebrations in the city.

Drunk driving

The police said it would crackdown on drunk driving to prevent night-time accidents during the season. An official said drunk and reckless driving and partying inside moving vehicles and those parked on the roads were the main reason for night-time accidents during this period.

Revellers, mostly youngsters, often take to the road in cars equipped with extra lights and powerful sound systems. Some of the cars have colourful lights fitted under the floorboard and illuminated registration number plates, accessories that are not sanctioned by the law on the ground that such frills distract other motorists.

The favourite stretches for speedsters include the Museum-Vellayambalam- Kawdiar road, All Saints-Shangumugham road and the Kazhakkuttom- Kovalam National Highway bypass. Traffic experts have also expressed their reservations about car audio systems equipped with “boom-boxes”, powerful sub-woofers, that increase the bass output.

A section of young motorists take a special thrill in zooming through the city at night with “boom boxes” in full blast.

In most cases, the thump of the heavy bass music could be heard well before the vehicle is actually sighted, an unnerving experience for pedestrians and also families travelling on two-wheelers.

Families returning after late night movies often have to encounter a particular category of reckless motorcyclists the police chose to describe as “speed fiends”.

Many zigzag through the empty roads at high speed and often in an inebriated condition. Some of them “show-off” their riding skills by executing “wheelies”, the practice of causing the front wheel of the motorbike to lift off the ground by accelerating suddenly.

NATPAC study

A study by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC) points out that 25 per cent of the accidents reported in the city occur at night. Drunk and reckless driving, speeding, failure to dim headlights at oncoming vehicles, driver fatigue, poor road conditions, lack of reflectors on speed breakers and medians, violation of one-way norms, ill-lit traffic junctions and haphazardly parked vehicles are some of the main accident causing factors at night.

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