Kochi: Kochi City police have seized three private buses after their drivers were allegedly found operating the vehicles under the influence of alcohol during a targeted early-morning operation in the Kakkanad and Thrikkakara areas on Monday, Mirror Now reported. The Hindu also reported that police seized three private buses after the drivers were found allegedly drunk, with 35 offences detected in the special drive.

Source: Mirror Now

The operation ran from 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and focused on the conduct of private bus operators, Mirror Now reported. Officers inspected 132 buses during the drive and identified a total of 35 traffic-related offences, including the alleged drunken-driving cases that led to the seizures.

Source: Mirror Now

3Private buses seized in Monday's dawn drive (Mirror Now, The Hindu)
132Buses inspected between 5:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
35Traffic offences booked during the special drive
~1,200Police Clearance Certificate applications being processed for bus staff

Drivers arrested, licence suspension process begun

Thrikkakara Assistant Commissioner of Police Bijoy Chandran said the drivers found to be intoxicated were arrested on the spot, Mirror Now reported. The seized buses were produced before the court, and authorities have begun the formal process to suspend the driving licences of those involved. The allegations are yet to be proved in court.

The intensified scrutiny follows a recent fatal accident near Kakkanad, in which a woman pedestrian was struck and killed by a bus that was allegedly speeding, Mirror Now reported. The incident drew public attention and sharp criticism from the Kerala High Court over the lack of oversight of rash driving and unprofessional conduct among private bus staff; the court had earlier directed Kochi police to bring private bus drivers under a Smart ID system and warned the Kochi Corporation over footpaths, Bar and Bench reported.

Kochi City Police Chief R. Nishanthini said a broader initiative is under way to ensure stricter compliance among bus employees, centred on mandatory Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs) for all staff in the private bus sector, Mirror Now reported. The department is processing approximately 1,200 PCC applications and aims to complete verification within the next week, with a stakeholders' meeting scheduled to coordinate details for the remaining workforce.

What is solid

  • Kochi City police seized three private buses in a Monday early-morning special drive in Kakkanad and Thrikkakara after the drivers were allegedly found drunk, and 35 offences were detected (Mirror Now; The Hindu).
  • The drive is part of a wider police crackdown that followed a fatal accident near Kakkanad and Kerala High Court criticism of reckless private-bus driving (Mirror Now).

What is only claimed

  • Whether each arrested driver was in fact intoxicated will be decided through the legal process; police have described the drunken driving as alleged, and the cases are before the court.