Tight security for New Year eve revelry in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Dec 30 (IANS) Security has been tightened and vigil stepped up across the city to ensure peaceful celebrations of the New Year eve on Monday night by revellers, said a top police officer on Sunday.

"About 10,000 police personnel, including women constables, will be deployed in and around the city to maintain law and order and prevent untoward incidents on the New Year eve," Bengaluru Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar told reporters here.

Briefing media on measures taken to usher in the New Year in a spirited way by the citizens, especially revellers who throng downtown and upscale areas, Kumar said about 80 platoons of reserve police force and 250 police women would be stationed in the central business district (CBD) from Monday evening to Tuesday morning for patrolling.

"Vehicles will not be allowed to ply from Monday 9:00 p.m. to Tuesday 6:00 a.m. on Brigade Road, a stretch of M.G. Road, Church Street, Lavelle Road, Richmond Road and Museum Road, with no parking 1km around the CBD area as revellers will assemble to celebrate the event," Kumar said.

As women, girls and children will also flock to downtown and visit malls, hotels, restaurants and shopping plazas, police men and women in plain clothes will keep a watch on trouble makers and eve-teasers.

As part of the vigil, 270 jeeps and 1,200 patrolling bikes will move around the areas to regulate the movement of revellers gathering from all over the city and from outside.

Four drone cameras and four LCD display systems on giant screens and 15 watch towers will monitor the revellers in the CBD area and track down mischief mongers.

"Vehicular traffic will not be allowed on flyovers and elevated roads from 9:00pm on Monday to 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday to prevent drunken driving by tipplers and road mishaps by revellers," Kumar added.

Though eateries, pubs, clubs and restaurants will be allowed to remain open till 2:00 a.m., owners will be responsible for any incident in their premises.