Bengaluru: With a motive to ensure safety of passengers and keep track of habitual drunk drivers, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is all set to make mandatory the breathalyzer test at depots for drivers before they go on their duties.

The KSRTC has also identified 12 points across the state to check its drivers for drunk driving after sources reported that some drivers consume liquor after leaving the depot.

Earlier, the KSRTC was using analog breathalyzers which were rarely used to check drivers. Sometimes, the recording shown by these old devices was also faulty. Besides, there was no registry of the drivers involved in drunk driving.

The state road transport travels 28 lakh scheduled kilometer and ferries close to 26 lakh passengers every day. The number of drunk drivers’ issue has come down in the last few years. But the concern for passengers’ safety still remains.

“Regular checkup and data also help to keep track of all drivers. If there are habitual drunkards, it becomes easy to take action against such persons besides taking corrective measures by sending them to a de-addiction centre,” said Rajender Kumar Kataria, Managing Director, KSRTC.

As many as 78 alcometers under the Road Safety and Emergency Health Care Fund financed by the World Bank will be distributed to all the 78 depots in the state. These modern machines will help print the results and that will help in maintaining a record.