2 weeks Ago By Gitesh Shelke
Pune: The RTO has initiated the process of suspending driving licences of 200 motorists after the Pune police recommended cancellation of their permits because they drove vehicles under the influence of alcohol. Pune RTO Archana Gaikwad told TOI on Thursday, "We have initiated the process to suspend the driving licences of 200 vehicle users, whose names were recommended in the first proposal sent to us by the police." She said," We have the power to suspend driving licences although the police sought cancellation of licences.
While the process of suspending the driving licences has started, the actual suspension will take some time because a majority of our staffers have been engaged in state assembly election duty." Gaikwad said, "Only the court can cancel a driver's licence in case of conviction for drunk driving. We can cancel a person's driving licence in the case of his/her second conviction by a court for a similar offence.
As such, we are now suspending the driving licences for a stipulated period (90 days or 120 days) provided under the law. If there is a repeat offender, we can cancel his/her driving licence." The Pune police acted against 2,556 individuals found driving vehicles under the influence of alcohol over the past 10 days.
The police have sent proposals to the Pune regional transport officer (RTO) to cancel the driving licences of 485 of these offenders. Following the Oct 11 accident in Mundhwa in which a food delivery person died after an Audi car driven by a drunk businessman hit his scooter, the police launched a special drive against drunk drivers. A total of 2,556 vehicle users were fined till Oct 31 for drunk driving.
Additional commissioner of police Manoj Patil told TOI, "Of the 2,556 drunk driving offenders, we sent reports to the RTO for cancellation of driving licences of 485 offenders." Asked why the police were not approaching the court to get the licences cancelled when the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act provisions were clear on this count, the additional commissioner said, "We know the RTO has the power to suspend driving licences, but we have written to them to cancel the licences. Our job is to intimate the RTO on the offence as they are the licence issuing authority.
If the list has any second-time offenders, it can cancel their licences." Patil said, "We will also approach the court, after registering FIRs against the drunk drivers, to seek cancellation of their driving licences. We are following up the issue with various courts in the city.
".
