Bhubaneswar, Apr 18 (PTI) At least 216 people have been arrested in various parts of Odisha for allegedly driving in an inebriated condition, an official said on Monday.

The arrests were made and the driving licences of 138 people suspended during a joint drive by the transport department and the state police, he said.

Also Read | Sensex Sharply Declines by 970 Points in Early Trade Due to Rising Inflation.

“Of 2,600 people who underwent breath analyser tests across the state on Saturday night, 251 were found driving after consuming alcohol. Overall 216 were arrested,” the official said.

At least 59 arrests, the highest in the special drive against drink-driving, were made in Cuttack, followed by 17 in Subarnapur district.

Also Read | Weather Forecast: Mercury Set To Soar Over Northwest, Central India; Heavy Rainfall Over Tamil Nadu-Puducherry-Karaikal, Says IMD.

Despite a set of strict laws and regulations, drink-driving continued to be one of the major reasons for road accidents in the state, the official said.

Odisha registered 648 road accidents in 2020 due to drink-driving, which claimed the lives of 298 people, he said.

According to the Motor Vehicles Act, a first-time offender in case of drink-driving will face imprisonment of up to six months and/or a fine of up to Rs10,000. The second offence, if repeated within two years, can lead to up to two years of prison term and/or a fine of Rs 15,000.

The authorities had stopped testing people for alcohol after the COVID outbreak to avoid infection, the official said.

“Since the number of COVID cases has dropped significantly, now the authorities have started conducting the special drive against drink-driving,” he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)