Bengaluru Authorities Prepare For Safe And Peaceful New Year Celebrations. Details Here

For those who live in Bengaluru and plan to celebrate the New Year with family and friends, the authorities have laid out some rules. As per a report by the news agency PTI, the bars and restaurants have been instructed to strictly adhere to time limits with respect to serving liquor and their activities, and the 1:00 am deadline will be strictly implemented.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday (December 28) said around 20,000 police personnel and officials will be deployed to man Bengaluru to ensure safe and peaceful celebrations.

The authorities are expecting over 10 lakh people to gather in various parts of the city, and the party venues cannot exceed their approved capacity. Entry must be stopped once full.

"A crowd of approximately 7-8 lakh people had gathered in different places for New Year celebrations last year, this year, more than ten lakh people are expected," Parameshwara said, asking residents, especially the young generation, to "celebrate responsibly".

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The police have identified crowd-prone areas such as Koramangala, Indira Nagara, Central Business District (CBD) area, and Niladri Road for the celebrations, he said while speaking to reporters after a meeting with police officials.

"Approximately 20,000 police personnel and officials have been deployed to man the city to ensure that the celebrations are peaceful and happy. The deployment includes 14,000 personnel for Law and Order maintenance, 2,500 personnel for traffic management, 88 Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoons, 21 City Armed Reserve (CAR) platoons, 250 cobra bike personnel, among others," he said.

"Security is also a major focus area, keeping in mind the recent Delhi blast, and necessary preventive measures are being taken, and a watch has been kept on the activities of anti-social elements."

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Important Steps Taken By Authorities To Enhance Security

Women's Safety: As per the minister, the focus is on women's safety and crowd management, with advisories being issued to stakeholders like bars, restaurants, malls, and pubs, among others. These stakeholders have also given a QR code consisting of all the necessary information.

Watch Towers: The minister said that watch towers and focus lights are being installed in identified areas. He mentioned that sufficient ambulances and fire tenders are being positioned.

Drone Surveillance: He noted that drone cameras will be deployed for surveillance, along with CCTV cameras, in addition to the existing ones. Safety shelters are being set up in various places. The authorities have also set up access control facilities and vehicle checkpoints at various places.

Heatmap Technology: Parameshwara said that for the first time, "heatmap" has been introduced in Bengaluru to identify places with large crowds. It will relay real-time information to the control or command centre to help in crowd management.

People can contact police control rooms at 100 or 112 for emergencies.