BENGALURU: With the New Year round the corner, popular hubs for the celebrations -- Brigade Road and Commercial Street -- have decked up for the occasion, along with a range of safety and precautionary measures.
Fancy lights, cameras, and watchtowers are coming up at the said places for security and effective crowd management, since a lot of people will throng there to bid goodbye to 2023 and welcome 2024. As untoward incidents like the blast on Church Street and molestations have been reported around New Year’s Eve in the past, traders and shop associations have taken precautions this time.
Brigade Shops and Establishment Association secretary Suhail Yousuf said, “A letter has been sent to the Central DCP for robust police deployment. From the association, cameras, monitors, and watchtowers will be installed. The police have been requested to remove hawkers and street vendors from Brigade Road on December 31, while traffic restrictions will be in force from 6 pm on that day. Only pedestrians will be allowed from the MG Road junction.”
Yousuf added that the police have been requested not to allow pedestrians from Rest House Road or Church Street onto Brigade Road, to prevent potential mischief-makers from indulging in anything illegal and then fleeing to crowded areas. The association has also stopped people from sitting on stairs leading to any of the shops and from entering basements of shopping complexes.
Meanwhile, unlike Brigade Road, Commercial Street Association has decided to suspend its operations altogether after 10 pm.
Secretary of Commercial Street Association, Mayank Rohatgi, said that in the past, Brigade Road witnessed certain incidents during New Year’s Eve, and to avoid them occurring again, the association has taken this decision.
“Apart from the issue of security, the association also wants to take precautions in the wake of rising Covid-19 infections. All the 70 shops on Commercial Street will shut by 10 pm. Meanwhile, as part of New Year celebrations, the shops within the association have decided to give away 10 iPads and 10 smart TVs through a lucky draw and winners will be awarded on January 1,” said Rohatgi.
Concerning security measures, he said all the shops have CCTV cameras. Besides, the police have been requested to deploy men on Kamaraj Road and on Commercial Street entrance to send messages to further deter trouble-makers.