The Hindu : New Delhi News : Less nuisance on Delhi streets

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Sunday, Jan 02, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Less nuisance on Delhi streets

By Our Staff Reporter

Friends greeting each other on New Year Day in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: Sandeep Saxena

NEW DELHI, JAN. 1. With the Capital deciding to usher in the New Year without much ceremony and celebration in the wake of the tsunami catastrophe, the number of people booked for creating nuisance or drunken driving was far less this New Year's Eve compared to the previous year.

According to the police, only about 150 people were booked for driving-related offences, including 45 for drunken driving. In 2003, Delhi traffic police booked over 250 people, of whom 62 were prosecuted for drunken driving. Others were booked for offences like rash driving and over-speeding.

In Connaught Place, which is the hub of New Year Eve celebrations, the police did not have to deal with any potential law and order situation. While about 100 people were stopped before they could create nuisance, none of them were detained under any preventive sections. In the previous year, the New Delhi police had booked about 20 people. Incidents of eve-teasing were also not reported this time round.

Elsewhere too, it was more or less the same story. In West Delhi, 35 people were booked under preventive sections, while over a 100 were verified and allowed to go. Six of those detained were found to have criminal antecedents. In 2003, the number of people detained was 285. The policemen deployed in South, South-West and North-East Delhi too had it rather easy compared with the previous year. "There was not much stress on our men as there were less number of people on the roads," said a police officer. In fact, more than 1,500 were detained and several others arrested in the Capital in the previous year, while this time the number of detentions did not cross a few hundred and there were few arrests.

For their part, the police had made arrangements to deal with any untoward situation. More policemen were deployed on main roads and important intersections. The increased visibility of the police ensured that people remained in control. However, with a large number of people celebrating the New Year Eve rather quietly, the number of people likely to create nuisance was bound to be low, said the police officer.

The officer added that the main reason for the largely deserted roads was the fact that most major celebrations were cancelled. No major events were being held in Connaught Place and other places. In the previous year, the police had to face a major law and order problem when an event got overbooked in a New Delhi hotel and the dance troupe, which was supposed to perform there, did not turn up.

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