New Year celebrations only till 1 am, announces Bengaluru police chief

BENGALURU: City Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy on Thursday announced the the New Year’s Eve celebration in the city will be be allowed only till 1 am and traffic will not be allowed on certain roads in the central business district (CBD) between 10 pm on December 31 and 1 am on January 1.

Addressing a press conference, he said 8,000 policemen and 500 officers, including traffic police, will be deployed to ensure security during the revelry and steps will be taken to ensure the safety of women and children. To check sound pollution, teams at the ACP level have been formed and strict action will be taken against those indulging in illegal activities, including drug abuse. Islands will be created for women, watch towers will be erected and 4,000 CCTV cameras will keep watch over the revelry, he noted.

The police chief also said that beds will be earmarked in hospitals for the needy and ambulances will be kept on standby. He also appealed to people to inform the police if they find any suspicious objects by the roadside. Calling upon revellers to make use of public transport, he said all flyovers in the city, except the elevated expressway to the international airport, will be closed to traffic after 9 pm on December 31. Two-wheelers will also not be allowed on NICE road after 9 pm and checks for drunk driving will be conducted.

As regards pubs and clubs, they will have to ensure that patrons wear masks and their photographs have to be taken in the CCTV cameras after removing the mask. Only then the patrons are to be allowed inside.

Several senior officers including Special Commissioner for Traffic, M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anuchet) participated in the preparatory meeting held earlier while the DCPs joined online.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy briefing the media on the preparations for the New Year celebrations, on Thursday.

Instructions have also been issued to owners of paying guest accommodations that they should personally be present at the facilities on December 31 night and ensure that all guidelines are followed. Security guards should be posted and vehicles entering/exiting the facility should be noted in the register. Parties should not be allowed on the terrace and newcomers should not be allowed. No cutting of cakes should be allowed in front of the PG accommodationss and men should not be allowed near women’s PG facilities. In case of any suspicious activities, the police should be immediately informed and the PG owners will be held directly responsible for any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, over 50,000 rooms have been booked in the city for the New Year revelry and the hoteliers association hopes to rake in over Rs 750 crore in revenue of which about Rs 200 crore will go towards taxes, according to association president P C Rao.