City of Joy ushers in New Year maintaining all Covid protocols

Kolkata: Under the shadow of Covid-19, Kolkata ushered in the New Year with celebrations maintaining the safety protocol. Though people thronged the tourist spots on Friday to welcome 2021 amid bright sunshine, the precautionary measures against the deadly virus were of prime concern among the revellers.

As the gruelling 2020 came to an end, people heaved a sigh of relief and hoped for a better year ahead. The enthusiasm was seen in revellers as they gathered for muted celebrations. Elaborate police arrangements were made to allow the revellers to enjoy the day uninterrupted. Large number of visitors were spotted at tourist sites like Victoria Hall, ECO Park, Alipore Zoo, Nicco Park, among others. In a bid to manage the rush of passengers, the state Transport department provided special services for people. Special buses were run for people visiting ECO Park.

Many people were seen enjoying boat rides on river Hooghly. Revellers organised picnics at Phuleshwar, Kolaghat and other spots along the river. Meanwhile, Police arrested 1,270 people for misconduct during the New Year celebrations. Police penalised 669 people for not wearing masks. Police maintained a strict vigil to avoid any untoward incident and at the same time helped the people by distributing masks and hand sanitiser. Additional policemen were deployed and officers from local police stations patrolled at their respective areas.

Police seized 262.2 litres of liquor and there were 174 specific cases of drunken driving. As many as, 89 cases of rash driving were reported. As many as 16 rowdies were picked up. Two were caught for gambling, while the number of preventive arrests was 17. Police seized 40 vehicles and banned fireworks weighing 5 kg.

Amid the celebrations, two separate incidents of unnatural death were reported in the city on New Year night. A 35-year-old man died after falling from the terrace at Parnashree in south Kolkata. Police said a New Year party was organised at the terrace of the victim Apu Mallick's house on Parui Das Para Road at Behala's Parnashree. Many of his friends attended the party. Preliminary investigation revealed that he was in an inebriated state.

Another 34-year-old school teacher from Dhantala in Nadia, Subrata Biswas, was found dead in his researcher friend's apartment at Garfa. He had gone to his friend's place for celebrating New Year and was found lying unconscious in the morning.