Chandigarh, July 6 -- In a telling trend, Chandigarh has already recorded 3,235 drunken driving challans in the first six months of 2025, nearly matching 2024's full-year figure of 3,561. The rise comes even as the total challans for other offences have remained proportionate, indicating a sharp surge in drunk driving violations.

In 2023, the traffic police had issued 3,160 drunken driving challans, a figure that this year's six-month tally has already surpassed. If the current trend continues, 2025 is set to record the highest number of drunk driving violations in the last three years.

The increase in the number of challans can be attributed to enhanced enforcement. The traffic police have intensified night patrolling and checking, par...