Thousands of Mumbaikars gathered at the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Girgaum Chowpatty and other places on Sunday night to ring in Year 2024 amid tight security arrangements.
Many chose to visit religious places, including the famous Siddhivinayak and Mumbadevi temples, and churches. In Thane, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde welcomed New Year by participating in a blood donation camp in the night. He extended greetings to people on the occasion.
Mumbaikars converged at various public places with families and friends to join the New Year bash. Get-togethers were also organised in various housing societies in the city and on terraces of buildings. Restaurants and bars in the megapolis were teeming with patrons till late night. The Central Railway operated four special suburban services in the Mumbai division on New Year’s Eve to cater to the rush of people who travel to south Mumbai and other places for celebrations. Out of the four specials, two ran on the mainline, and the other two on the Harbour line.
Police made elaborate security arrangements to avoid any untoward incident.
Security check-ups were placed at various places in the city and some roads were barricaded. Action was taken against some motorists who were driving drunk and for other violations. Two-wheelers riders without helmets were fined, officials said. No untoward incident was reported in the city and celebrations passed off peacefully, an official said, adding that the tight bandobast will remain in place till 5 AM on Monday.
‘’11,000 police personnel, 2,000 officers, 22 deputy commissioners of police and 45 assistant commissioners of police were deployed for security,’’ said Satyanarayan Chowdhary, Joint Commissioner (Law and Order).
He said some 20 platoons of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), 15 platoons of the Law and Order Reserve, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) were in place to deal with emergencies and maintain peace.
Around 5,000 CCTV cameras kept an eye on celebrations, including at heavily patronised sites like Gateway of India, Marine Drive, and beaches among others, with live footage being monitored from the main and regional control rooms.
Police intensified patrolling in the city, he added.
More than 1,200 traffic policemen and 150 officers were deployed on roads to monitor celebrations, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Pravin Padwal said and urged people not to drink and drive.
While some roads remained closed, traffic was diverted at other places. Places like Marine Lines, Worli Seaface, and Juhu beach were declared no-parking zones to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.