Cold fails to dampen New Year spirit in Delhi

Revellers in the capital ushered in the New Year on a chilly note with the minimum temperature dipping to a low of 4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, but the cold did not dampen the celebrations as bars and pubs did brisk business till late in the night.

Police were also on a drive to ensure that people celebrate responsibly and beefed up security. Connaught Place, the hotspot for people during New Year's Eve, turned into a “pedestrian only” zone by the authorities and revellers were seen breaking into jigs as the clock struck 12.

Similar celebrations were seen near the India Gate area, about two km away.

There were restrictions on the entry of both private and public vehicles in the vicinity of Connaught Place from 7 pm onwards.

No vehicle was allowed to proceed towards Connaught Place beyond the roundabouts of Mandi House and Bengali Market.

Besides this, vehicles entering from the north foot of Ranjit Singh Flyover, Minto Road and other routes such as Patel Chowk and K G Marg-Ferozeshah Road crossing were also restricted. However, the restrictions did not deter those who wanted to make merry, as people chose to walk.

Holding balloons and trumpets, people hugged each other and enjoyed the electric atmosphere.

The road leading to Hauz Khas Village in south Delhi, which is crowded even on normal weekends, was jam-packed since early evening itself.

Similar celebrations were witnessed in the market areas of Saket, Greater Kailash, Chirag Delhi, New Friends Colony, Defence Colony, South Extension and Nehru Place, as well as Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Dwarka, Rajouri Garden, Pitampura, Laxmi Nagar, Preet Vihar and Mayur Vihar.

Many people also chose to report sick at office on the last day of the year as well as on January 1. “You really cannot have fun with work on your mind,” said Manoj Aggarwal, a Mayur Vihar resident working with an MNC in Gurgaon.

Of the many arrangements police put in place to avoid any untoward incident was a special drive against drunken driving with 70 teams deployed in different parts of the city. “There were special pickets to check rash and zigzag driving,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Shukla.

As part of security measures, entry and exit from Rajiv Chowk, Barakhamba Road and Patel Chowk metro stations were closed from 7:30 pm on Tuesday. Sale of tickets at the three metro stations stopped at 7:15 pm.