BENGALURU: To avoid stampedes at the MG Road Metro Station after the new year celebrations, the Bengaluru city police in consultation with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials announced they will be closing the MG Road Metro Station on Tuesday (December 31, 2024) night.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda told the media on Saturday, that passengers to MG Road Metro station can only alight at but cannot board the metro train. Instead, they have to either go to Cubbon Park or Trinity Junction metro stations. Dayananda was speaking to the media about the elaborate security arrangements for New Year’s eve revelry. He said that the decision was taken keeping in mind the previous years’ experiences.
Public celebrations for the new year are allowed only with government permission, and events can be held only until 1 am. Except for the flyover to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), all other flyovers in Bengaluru City, will be shut post 11 pm on Tuesday and will open only at 6 am on the next day (January 1, 2025).
Dayananda asserted that two-wheelers are prohibited from 10 pm on December 31 till January 1, 6 am on the next day on the KIA Road.
A total of 11,830 police personnel including the law and order, traffic, home guards along with civil defence personnel, will be pressed on duty to ensure the celebrations go off without any untoward incident, said an official release issued by the police commissioner office.
Also, major locations will be inspected using sniffer dogs and 16 anti- sabotage check teams. One- way pedestrian access on Brigade Road will also be made. A total of 817 CCTVs, 63 watch towers, 114 women safety islands, 48 police kiosks and 54 health centres will be in place across all the eight police divisions in Bengaluru city. The police will also use the services of the towing vehicles to tow vehicles parked in no- parking zones, the release said.
“Drone cameras will also be in place. Along with the 11,830 city police personnel, 89 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and 23 platoons of City Armed Reserve (CAR) will be deployed. In connection with the new year celebrations, around 70 drug peddlers including three foreign nationals were recently arrested and drugs worth about Rs 25 crores were seized,” Dayananada said.
Special women safety zones, staffed with women police personnel, have been established at key locations. Police kiosks will assist in case of missing children, theft complaints or any other emergency situations. Vehicular traffic will be restricted on Brigade Road on December 31 and one- way pedestrian entry will be permitted. Entry will be facilitated through door frame metal detectors installed at designated locations.
Special arrangements have been made in key public celebration areas including Koramangala, Indiranagar, Marathahalli, HRBR Layout, Airport Road and Whitefield. Special security arrangements will additional police personnel has also been done in the central police division areas including Brigade Road, MG Road, Opera Junction, Richmond Road and Residency Road. The release said five DCPs, 18 ACPs, 41 police inspectors are being deployed. A total of 2,572 police officers and personnel are being deployed on duty.
Joint Commissioner of Traffic, Bengaluru, MN Anucheth briefed about the traffic advisory and added that those found driving/riding under the influence of alcohol will be sternly dealt with.
Directions have been given to pub and restaurant owners to maintain a register of the customers which will be like knowing your customers. Names, telephone numbers, addresses of all the customers have to be noted down and recorded. Such measures have been made to prevent minors visiting the pubs and it also prevents the drug peddlers from selling drugs inside the pubs, the police teams said.