No Valentine's at Nandi Hills this year: Popular destination near Bengaluru to remain closed for visitors for the first time on February 14

No private vehicles or tourists will be allowed to enter Nandi Hills from 6 am to 6 pm on Saturday; authorities cite crowd management, public safety concerns

For the first time, entry of visitors to Nandi Hills, near Bengaluru, has been banned on February 14, Valentine's Day, citing crowd management and public safety concerns.

The Chikkaballapur district administration has issued an order banning visitors from entering Nandi Hills between 6 am and 6 pm on February 14. The hill station, located about 60 km away from Bengaluru, usually sees a higher footfall on weekends and public holidays.

According to the order, no private vehicles or tourists will be allowed to access Nandi Hills on Saturday. Security personnel will be deployed at the entry point to enforce the restriction.

On weekends and holidays, Nandi Hills sees 16,000 to 18,000 tourists arriving in 3,000 to 3,500 two-wheelers and 1,500 to 1,700 four-wheelers, according to Chikkaballapur Deputy Commissioner Prabhu G. On regular days, the footfall ranges between 5,000 and 6,000, with visitors coming in 500 to 700 four-wheelers and 1,000 to 1,500 two-wheelers.

There is only one approach road to Nandi Hills and as a large number of people are expected to visit the destination in view of Valentine's Day, it has been decided to prohibit the entry of visitors and private vehicles on Saturday as a precautionary measure, the Deputy Commissioner said.

Though restrictions on entry of visitors are enforced during New Year celebrations to manage large crowds, this is the first time Nandi Hills has been closed specifically on Valentine’s Day.