Kolkata: In order to avert any untoward incident on New Year’s Eve, Kolkata has been wrapped under a blanket of security cover since Saturday afternoon, and the security measures will continue till the midnight of January 1.
The focus of the security arrangement is primarily on the Park Street area, which has traditionally been the party hub of the city. The security arrangements there have been divided into six sectors, with nine officers in the rank of DCP in charge. They are being assisted by 13 assistant commissioners and 32 inspectors along with their other subordinate ranks in the police force.
There are 30 police pickets at important points like Park Street, Shakespeare Sarani, Camac Street, Esplanade and New Market, which traditionally witness maximum crowds on New Year’s eve and Christmas. The police have also decided to conduct time-to-time drone surveillance at these places.
Apart from that, 20 bike-borne ‘mobile city-watch’ teams have also been pressed into service. Also, 30 temporary police assistance booths have been set up for these two days, besides setting up 11 watch-towers in the high-crowd zones.
“There will be adequate number of women police personnel, plain-dress sleuths and combat teams. Additional check-points have been put up at 97 places,” a senior officer of the city police said.
Besides the police, the state disaster management department has also kept its teams ready for any emergency. Trauma-care ambulances at different points of the city, deployment of life-saving disaster management teams at the river-points in and around the city are some of the arrangements. The personnel of the River Traffic Police department will conduct constant patrolling on the water using speedboats.
(IANS)
