NCR gears up for New Year celebrations

A day earlier, the traffic police issued an advisory for New Year’s Eve, placing traffic restrictions in central Delhi, including CP

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Saturday announced that people will not be allowed to exit from Rajiv Chowk Metro station after 9pm on December 31. DMRC said passengers would still be able to enter the Metro station and board trains till the last train leaves from Rajiv Chowk.

Delhi Police barricades at Connaught Place, Delhi, ahead of the New Year rush. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

“As advised by the police, to ease overcrowding on New Year’s Eve (December 31) exit from Rajiv Chowk Metro station will not be allowed from 9pm. However, entry of passengers will be allowed till the departure of the last train on December 31. Commuters are requested to plan their journey accordingly,” said Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications at DMRC. Dayal said Metro services on the rest of the network will continue to operate normally.

A day earlier, the traffic police issued an advisory for New Year’s Eve, placing traffic restrictions in central Delhi, including Connaught Place.

Meanwhile, the Gurugram Traffic Police said it deployed over 500 cabs near commercial hubs and party hot spots such as MG Road, Sector 29 and Cyber Hub to curb drunk driving incidents on New Year’s Eve and ensure that people in an inebriated condition reach home safely. Police said this will ensure the safety of commuters and drivers.

Separately, the penalty for driving under the influence has been increased to ₹10,000 from ₹500, which would strictly be implemented from December 31, said police, adding that teams will be deployed at various points across the city to check drunk driving. The driver’s license is also liable to be suspended for three months.

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Virender Vij said that last year, several accidents were reported due to drunk driving. “We decided to take this initiative for their safety. The volume of vehicles will be high and those driving in an inebriated state will risk their life and others’ as well. We have informed all the managers and owners (of pubs, bars, etc.) to adhere to the orders,” he said.

Police held a meeting with cab aggregators to ensure enough cabs were stationed near the party places so that the staff of the pub, bar, or restaurant could call them and book the cab for their home drop.

The Ghaziabad Police and Gautam Budh Nagar Police have imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC for December 31, 2023, and January 1, 2024, to maintain law and order ahead of the celebrations.

The order, which additional police commissioner Dinesh Kumar P issued, said that no individual/group would take up events without permission from the competent authority and directed hotels and lodges not to allot rooms to people without ID proofs. The restrictions would be in place in Ghaziabad till midnight of January 2, the order added.