Lorry owner in fix as police ask boozy drivers to pay fine

COIMBATORE: A lorry owner from Kovilpatti faced anxious moments after his lorry laden with waste cotton did not reach its intended destination in Erode.

The waste cotton-laden lorry left New Delhi on February 19 and was scheduled to reach Erode within five days on February 24. It was driven by Balu (40) from Sattur and Mariyappan (44) from Thanjavur.

“I tracked it through the GPS and found the lorry to have reached only Madhya Pradesh even after five days. When I inquired, the drivers informed me that they were driving slowly due to heavy mist,” said lorry owner P Ganesh Kumar. He is also the Kovilpatti area secretary of Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners Association.

Suspecting some foul play, Ganesh scrutinised the movement of the lorry and was shocked to learn that the lorry is being stopped frequently at liquor shops. “As driving the vehicle under the influence of alcohol is dangerous, I alerted some other lorry owners and caught hold of the two drivers, who were behind the wheels, after guzzling liquor at a Tasmac shop at ‘Thoppurkaadu’ in Dharmapuri on Monday,” he said.

The two drivers were intercepted by some lorry association members and handed over to Theevattipatti police station in Salem. More drama unfolded on Tuesday, when the cops asked Ganesh Kumar to come to the station from Kovilpatti.

“When I reached the station around afternoon, the police asked me to cough out a total penalty of Rs 22,000 for the offence of drunken driving committed by the drivers. The cops asked me to get back the documents and take the lorry after paying the penalty amount. They have also let off the drivers,” Ganesh said.

Refusing to pay the fine amount, Ganesh accompanied by a few other lorry owners resorted to a sit-in protest in front of Omalur court demanding justice. “After our protest, the police finally gave away the documents and were also allowed to drive away the lorry,” he said.

Police sources said that the drivers were allowed to go on their assurance that they will pay off the fine, but as they didn’t turn up, the lorry owner was asked to pay the penalty.

A senior police official in Theevattipatti station said that they have registered a case of drunk driving against the drivers. “The drivers are yet to pay the fine amount and we are investigating the case,” said a senior official.