Kolkata rings in New Year with merriment

Kolkata, Jan 1: Kolkata welcomed the New Year on a high, with large crowds thronging various tourist spots and eateries alongwith visiting popular places of worship.

From the Alipore Zoo to the iconic Victoria Memorial, M.P. Birla Planetarium and St. Paul's Cathedral in the central part of the city, people turned out in large numbers wearing colourful winter clothes and in cheerful mood.

Though the sun was not out in the morning making the weather damp and cold, the mood of merriment was not spoiled as selfie sticks were seen in huge numbers with youngsters also digging in street food.

The recently-inaugurated '7 Wonders of the World' at Eco Park also witnessed a huge turnout.

In multiplexes, cinema halls ran to full houses with movies like "Tiger Zinda Hai" and "Amazon Abhijaan" drawing the most crowd.

Famous eateries at Park Street had long queues with everyone wanting to taste the special New Year's lunch spread. 

Over a lakh devotees congregated at the Dakshineswar Kali temple, a spokesman of the temple committee said.

"Smile Smile Always Smile. Happy New Year 2018," tweeted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as security was beefed up for the occasion.