Equipped with drug analysers, cops seek to curb consumption in New Year

Hyderabad: Police got into action from about 10 pm on Sunday to ensure peaceful New Year celebrations, without incident. The big new focus this year is on prevention of narcotics sales and consumption, they said.
 
Police started evicting the public from popular hotspots of Tank Bund, Durgam Cheruvu and Santoshnagar mini-Tank Bund, among others, from 9.30 pm, with large contingents deployed at traffic junctions for drunk driving checks from 8 pm.
 
By 10 pm, most flyovers were closed to the public; the ORR and the PVNR Expressway were open only to those travelling to and from the Shamshabad airport.
 
Apart from law and order and traffic police, special teams of the Excise Special Task Force (ESTF), Special Operation Teams (SOT) and task forces were also deployed. Security was tight near all 52 pubs in Cyberabad, nine in Rachakonda and over 35 in the city, and also at other places where New Year celebrations were going on.
 
TS-NAB (TS Anti-Narcotics Bureau) officials were, for the first time, deployed with handheld narcotic analysers at pubs.
 
“We have taken New Year's Eve as the lead point to identify the peddlers, prosecute the consumers and peddlers,” said Hyderabad police commissioner Kothakota Sreenivasa Reddy.
 
“Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has insisted that he wants the state and the twin cities to be drug-free. The TS-NAB is equipped with over a dozen of narcotics analysers. That is a major achievement and I thank the Chief Minister for his support,” the police chief said.
 
“Our main priority in the New Year will be to coordinate with the heads of the other two commissionerates and the Anti-Narcotics Bureau to eradicate drug menace,” he said.
 
An SOT officer said: “Our teams are have intensified patrolling in Rajendranagar, Moinabad, Narsingi and Shamirpet. There are over 1,300 farmhouses in Cyberabad; we have geared up our informants network for information on drugs.”
 
The officer said: “Officers in some areas are equipped with handheld narcotic analysers and have been instructed to use them on suspicion. If required, we will take assistance from the local police and raid any place where narcotics are being sold or consumed.”
 
DGP Ravi Gupta, while extending New Year greetings, said that the police would focus on zero-drug policy, enforcement of traffic rules, crime prevention, women's safety and cybercrime eradication in the New Year.
 
Avinash Mohanty, Cyberabad police commissioner, said: “Celebrate New Year, but in the boundaries of law, not causing inconvenience to others and go home safely. High speed, rash driving and specially ‘performing stunts’ will not be tolerated.”
 
To prevent drunk driving, Mohanty said, police had instructed taxi and autorickshaw drivers not to refuse fares. If there are any issues, intending commuters should report to the police.
 
Police instructed establishments selling liquor to shut by 12.30 am and those organising events to wind up by 1 am.