The district police have strictly prohibited tourists from staying at hotels in Nandi Hills on December 31 to prevent any untoward incidents during New Year celebrations.
Venkatesh M V, Deputy Commissioner, Chikkaballapur, who issued orders prohibiting people to stay in Nandi Hills on Monday, said that the hill station will be out of bounds for tourists from 6 pm to 8 am. The ban has been imposed to prevent accidents as people drive to the hill station in an inebriated condition on New Years’ eve. We want to ensure that people are safe during New Year's, he added.
Strict checking drives will be carried out at all check posts enroute to the hills. Carrying of alcohol is also prohibited, he said.
M Jagadish, Deputy Director, Horticulture, said that the orders are welcome and they have been issued keeping in view the increasing rush on December 31. As a precautionary measure, we have closed booking for January 1, 2016 . This is because there are cases where people have created nuisance on the premises, he added.
This is the fourth consecutive year the police have restricted entry to the hills on December 31.
