Each person has his own idea of fun. But for 23-year-old MBA student Swapnil,nothing beats the thrill of getting drunk and driving his Royal Enfield bullet late in the night. Swapnil is not alone. Like him,there are several other students and young working professionals in the city who feel that getting drunk and driving is the most accepted idea of fun. But they do agree that it may take a turn for the worst. The whole idea of fun is now different. Earlier,everybody lived in their own houses with families. Once in a while,one friends parents would go out of town and we would go to his place and get drunk. The entire idea was rebellious and liberating. But now,in Pune,so many students and young professionals live away from their families. So,getting drunk is normal. Its only when you go on long drives that it is fun, said Marvin,a student. Most of the youngsters say Lonavala is the most popular destination after getting drunk. On a Friday night,you can get drunk till midnight. Most of the drinking happens in a group. Then you would want to do something more and somebody would eventually suggest a long drive,the cheapest and only means of amusement at that hour. And if there is a four-wheeler with any of us,we just go for it, said Swapnil. He added: Most preferred destinations are Lonavala,followed by the area after Pirangut till Mulshi dam. The checking is less in these areas that are also sparsely populated at night,hence an ideal place to go for a drive and get drunk. Counsellor and psychoanalyst Vanita Malhotra,who has 25 years of experience working with educational institutes and diagnostic centres,alcohol,youth and speed are interlinked. The energy level in youth is high. They want to get a kick out of everything. Secondly,everything is happening very fast in their life. Hence,once they get drunk and start driving,they tend to speed as it has become a part of their personality, she said. Also,everything is temporary for them. The fun is also for temporary satisfaction. The IT and BPO people are also leading a very stressful life. Alcohol,driving,speed etc work as a stress buster for them. Then,there is this idea of looking cool. They want to be in limelight. And what is the best way to look cool and show off than drinking and going for drives. They need peer acceptance and this is the easiest way, added Malhotra. No powers with highway police to prosecute drunkards PUNE: Even as accidents on highways are increasing,the State Highway Police (SHP) officers have no powers to book people for driving under influence (DUI) of alcohol and have to refer the cases to the local police,who are allegedly reluctant to dedicate manpower for these cases. SHP officers have also complained that they do not have enough breath analysers to detect DUI. Dilip Bhujbal,superintendent of police with the SHP,said,The highway police do not have the powers to investigate. So,even if we catch a person for DUI,we have to take him to the local police station which in most cases is a police station under the rural police. At times,they cannot dedicate manpower for the cases. This is a major limitation. He added. We do conduct drives. Each of our tap (a unit of the SHP) has a breath analyser. An officer with an SHP tap said,We must be authorised to register cases. We feel these drives are not enough if we take into account the number of vehicles on the highways. Considering the speed at which these vehicles travel,regular checking of DUI is a must. Vehicles are checked on two highways between Pune and Mumbai. But,very few inspections are conducted on other highways like Pune-Bangalore and Pune-Nashik.
