Traffic cops get set to analyse boozing girls

HYDERABAD: From this Friday, the Hyderabad Traffic Police is likely to be on the look out for not just men who drive after drinks but also the opposite sex.And if girls are caught driving in an inebriated condition, they too will have to undergo a breath analyser test and if found guilty, pay for it. The Traffic Police is all set to expand the scope of their special drive against drunken driving with the induction of women police personnel including constables, SIs and homeguards.They are being trained as part of the global ‘Road Safety 2010 project (RS10) of the WHO. Ashok Kumar, DCP (Traffic) explained, “10 women constables have been drafted for the purpose and their training completed.We have also added six more women SIs who are yet to finish their training.I guess the drive should start off by this weekend.Otherwise, we will start after the completion of training of all the officials.” According to him, the female cops will check women for drunken driving.They will be taught how to use a breath analyser, how to write a challan, under what section should a woman be charged, how to seize the vehicle and take photographs of the same.The women cops will be deployed across the city and work alongside their male counterparts.Though this is “bad news” for many, quite a few women are taking it in their stride.Apeksha Kothari, consultant I - Tax at Deloitte, said, “It is definitely right on the part of the police.Laws are made for all and everybody is equal before it.These days, many women drink and drive.So, by this step many accidents can be prevented.And if the police ask me to take the test, I will surely take it.” Many pubs and bars in the city have ladies nights and a good number of them like Liquids, Underdeck, Extreme Sports Bar, There is ZOuk, F Bar, Torque and Scarlet offer it on Friday.Isha Anjali Chandra, a graduate from St.Francis, echoes the views of Apeksha.“Of late, a lot of female drivers have been drinking and driving back home by themselves which may lead to a lot of disasters.Men are predominantly caught in such cases, as police officers cannot ask a woman to walk down to the station.It’s a smart move to deploy women cops.” But, a few vehemently object to the latest drive by the police.Siddhanti Mayuri, an IT professional, fumed, “it is really silly.Those breathe analysers are tested on so many people that I can’t even trust the device.” She may hate the breath analyser but the police are getting more of them.They will now be provided with 25 advanced breath analysers, 200 digital cameras and 50 Personal Digital Assistants (PDA).