Cops gear up for New Year revelry

Chennai: The city police are gearing up with 18,000 police personnel, 50 special teams being assigned to keep vigil on Chennai roads so that New Year revelry does not disrupt law and order.

As usual, the police are expecting a huge turn out of people on the Marina sands, Anna Salai, Elliot’s beach and at popular places of worship.

There will be restrictions on movement of vehicles on Kamaraj Salai on New Year’s eve, the police said.

“There will be strict vigil against drunken misbehaviour on roads. We will not allow any kind of eve teasing on the roads in the name of New Year greetings,” a police official noted.

The Chennai police have already issued guidelines for the New Year celebrations with the time limit for parties on December 31 being 1 am.

Senior police officials had met the over 80 representatives of star hotels and resorts last week to review security arrangements for New Year parties and also told them to make detailed arrangements.

The police warned against constructing any temporary structures or stages over  swimming pools and asked the hotels not to use the pools after 8 pm.

All the hotels and resorts have been told to install surveillance cameras at all the crucial spots to keep strict vigil. Hotel managements have been asked not to allow drunken revellers to drive their vehicles and to make arrangements to drop such people home.