MAM
Cars24 puts drunk driving wreckage on billboards to sober up New Year revelry
MUMBAI: When the party lights blur, some reminders need to hit harder than a warning sign. This New Year season, Cars24 has swapped slick billboards for something far more unsettling: real, wrecked cars mounted across busy stretches of Delhi, Gurugram and Pune.
Launched on December 29, the outdoor campaign turns everyday commutes into moments of reckoning. Instead of stylised visuals or dramatic graphics, Cars24 has placed genuine accident-damaged vehicles on hoardings, forcing passers-by to confront the physical aftermath of drunk driving, not the abstract risk.
The timing is deliberate. Drunk driving remains a stubborn and deadly problem in India, particularly during festive peaks. On New Year’s Eve alone last year, enforcement agencies booked hundreds of offenders across major cities. National estimates for 2024 point to nearly 14,390 road accidents linked to drunk driving, claiming over 6,542 lives. Even official figures from the ministry of road transport and highways recorded 9,143 alcohol-related accidents and 3,674 fatalities in 2023, underlining the scale of the challenge.
By placing mangled cars in plain sight, the campaign relies on realism rather than shock tactics. The message is simple but difficult to ignore, celebrations last a night, consequences last far longer. Repeated exposure on high-traffic routes, paired with digital amplification, is designed to make that cost linger in people’s minds before they pick up their keys.
“As a company built around mobility, we know that every decision behind the wheel matters,” said Cars24 co-founder and group CMO Gajendra Jangid. “‘Drink and Drive’ is not about awareness alone, it is about accountability. If even one person pauses, puts the keys down and chooses safety, the campaign has done its job.”
The initiative reinforces Cars24’s wider push for responsible mobility and safer driving behaviour. As the year winds down and celebrations ramp up, the brand’s message cuts through the noise: no night out is worth a life, and some reminders are meant to stay long after the hangover fades.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
