There’s a sense of caution in the air as the New Year approaches. People are getting ready to party hard into the New Year but they are also making sure they do so well within limits and take enough precautions to ensure that they are safe.
Pub owners have been instructed by the Bengaluru City Police to rope in extra bouncers and secure their entry points to make sure party goers don’t misbehave on the occasion. They have also been told to have extra CCTV cameras. ‘Don’t drink and drive’ is the underlying motto of the Bengaluru Traffic Police.
The message has prompted ordinary people to make arrangements to get back home safely without being waved down and caught for drunk driving. Women, in particular, have become more alert and say they don’t want to venture out without any males accompanying them.
Mixing with total strangers is a big no, feel most of them. Namrata Hazarika, a professional, thinks that people must be responsible for their own safety first before depending on the police.
“This year, I am not looking at travelling alone. Self driving is not an option as most of us plan on having a drink or two, but taking a cab alone is also not the safest bet. The safest thing for any woman is to not travel long distances alone,” adds Namrata.
She hastens to add, “Also plan on staying back with a friend. Always keep a fully charged phone and handy emergency phone numbers.”
The Bengaluru City Police have made elaborate arrangements. A senior officer with the Law and Order wing of the police says that additional forces will be deployed in and around strategic locations in the City, especially on MG Road and Brigade Road junctions, Sadashivanagar, Koramangala, Jayanagar and Indiranagar where people are likely to gather in large numbers.
There will be 48 CCTV cameras that will be installed, by the police at prominent junctions on Brigade Road and MG Road. There will also be 11 watch towers around the Central Business District areas.
“We have held separate meetings with all the business establishments and instructed them to install and rectify the existing cameras and ensure that they are in perfect working condition. We will use these recordings for our reference in case of any untoward incident,” says the senior officer.
The police also plan to put barricades on Airport Road, Hosur Road and Tumkur Road to make sure people don’t overspeed. “The movement of vehicles on the flyovers will be stopped from 9 pm onwards till 6 am the next morning to avoid cases of overspeeding and accidents,” adds the officer.
The police also inform that the drunk driving checks will be tightened, especially in areas such as MG Road, Brigade Road, Indiranagar, Koramanagala, Hebbal and Jayanagar. “We will come down heavily on drunk drivers and those places that have a sizeable number of bars and restaurants will be watched very closely,” says the officer.
Not all those who party are drinkers, like Roshan Samuel, a professional, who says that he will refrain from drinking this year because he has to clock into work the next day.
Roshan has offered to drive a couple of his friends home. “ I will definitely party hard but I will have to stay off alcohol to drive back safe. The traffic is going to be a little tricky but if the traffic police takes care of that, then it’s going to be safe,” he says.
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