Delhi Police beefs up security ahead of New Year celebrations

NEW DELHI - Delhi Police has stepped up security measures in the national capital on Friday on the eve of New Year 2011 to ensure incident-free revelries.

The city has been turned into a fortress, with police personnel deployed at vantage points and conducting stringent security checks.

Several police check post and barricades are placed across the capital and around 22,000 policemen, 2,800 traffic police officials and eight companies of Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF) have been deployed in the city.

Security has also been tightened at the popular Connaught Place here.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satender Garg has said that the focus would be outside hotels, pubs, restaurants, farmhouses and various other places where people are likely to gather for partying, celebrations and later drive back.

“We will be doing intensive checking for the drunk and driving in Delhi. Around 500 bike officers and other officials will be present in their areas and in the station areas like Connaught Place and also outside the places like hotels, restaurants farmhouses or the places where people assemble for the New Year celebrations,” said Garg.

“To ensure that there are no cases of drunken driving, our drunk and driving checking teams will be deployed there,” he added.

The Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) further advised the people to act responsibly and especially for drink and drive, as traffic officials will be conducting tests on drivers of vehicles to ascertain if they are under the influence of alcohol.

“We request people that they should not drive after drinking and should not be posing as threat to themselves and to other’s safety. People should keep in mind the speed limits, as often people tend to drive faster after seeing an empty road, resulting in accidents,” said Satender Garg.

“So drive in the decent speed limits. One should not indulge in any kind of racing or competition. People driving two wheelers should wear helmet and should not do zigzag driving,” he added.

Drunken driving, which causes majority of the road accidents in the city on the New Year Eve, is a punishable offence under Motor Vehicles Act where violators will be fined Rs 2,000 or sentenced to six months jail or both.

Repeated violators can be fined Rs 3,000 and can also be jailed for a period of two years term. (ANI)