With a new police chief and some fresh measures, Delhi might finally be making some progress on a menace that always seems to be getting worse: driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol.
With more vehicles than the three other metros combined, the capital has always had problems taking on intoxicated drivers. Statistics show that, while most accidents in India tend to take place in the afternoon hours, Delhi's roads are most unsafe between 9 pm and midnight. Outgoing police commissioner BK Gupta's tenure was marked with a sustained focus on law enforcement.
Rather than pushing to change the rules, he insisted on more jail sentences and better prosecution of those guilty of DUI. He also helped usher in 'night vigils,' with special teams focusing on stretches prone to intoxicated drivers.
Mr Gupta's successor, Neeraj Kumar, now wants to move the strategy away from containment. In an attempt to attack the problem at its roots, Mr Kumar has directed nightclubs and pubs not to serve liquor to customers who will be taking the wheel.
Frequent patrons have to be advised to use drivers, and pub managers have even been told that they should arrange for transport options for drunk customers.
To make sure this doesn't end up just being a perfunctory warning, the new police chief has warned bar-owners that they could be prosecuted for not going along with the new rules. While the plan could end up making owners scapegoats for their customers' infractions, the idea alone suggests a novel approach that could lead to change.
If the Commissioner is to succeed, though, he will need assistance from the government. Steeper fines, longer jail-terms and unambiguous legislation - particularly in charging fatal DUI accidents as culpable homicide rather than just negligence - will help ensure the new chief isn't fighting against the capital's DUI menace alone.
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