HC displeasure over Telangana, AP not taking steps to curb drunk driving

Hyderabad: A two-judge bench of the High Court at Hyderabad comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice P Naveen Rao on Friday voiced displeasure at the governments of the twin States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the lack of action taken on drunk driving on highways.

The bench took a newspaper article that reported the death of four medicos and many more injured as a suo motto petition. a ghastly road accident occurred on March 15 at Gollapudi in Vijayawada that resulted in the death of four medicos of the Osmania University and many were injured. The accident was caused by the alleged drunk driving by the driver of a bus belonging to Dhanunjaya Travels.

Voicing displeasure over the failure to prevent drunk driving, speaking for the bench Acting Chief Justice Dilip Bhosale enquired as to whom the bus belonged. Telangana State Additional Advocate General J Ramachandra Rao informed the bench that the bus originally belonged to Dhanunjaya Travels and authorities were trying to ascertain the present bus owner.

He submitted to the bench that steps were being taken as per the recommendations of the committee constituted based on the guidelines of the Supreme Court. Measures were being taken to close down all the liquor shops adjacent to the highways, he told the bench.

Counsel for Andhra Pradesh Vijaya Bhaskar Moola submitted that a criminal case was already booked against the management of travel company and also the government was taking steps to conduct breath analyser test to curb drunk driving. The bench adjourned the case for two weeks.