The New Year started on a positive note, with no major revelry-related accidents taking place on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 in the city and outskirts. Though celebrations on the street and at private events continued till the wee hours, the police heaved a sigh of relief after no untoward incidents, serious in nature, were reported. However, despite the intense campaign against drunk driving by the traffic police officials, quite a few high-spirited drivers were booked.
In the wee hours of Sunday, traffic congestions were witnessed in Banjara Hills, Punjagutta, Begumpet and Secunderabad as the flyovers across the city were closed from Saturday midnight. The commuters got into arguments with the police officials for blocking major flyovers like the entrance to Begumpet-Sanathnagar bridge. The police personnel also kept a close watch on the people who tried to venture on to the necklace road to celebrate the occasion.
On the first day of the new year, people were seen thronging churches and temples with their family and friends. Traffic near the places of worship in Secunderabad moved at a snail’s pace even as restrictions were imposed by the officials. Similar scenes were witnessed near Peddamma temple in Jubilee Hills.
With a large number of diners turning up on Sunday night, hotels, bars and pubs continued to make brisk business. Such was the rush that many of the eateries had serpentine queues and special security staff to handle the customers. Food delivery apps were in high demand as the companies hired additional number of delivery boys to meet the demand over the weekend. Wine shops, cakes and florists saw an overwhelming number of customers. With Sunday coinciding with January 1, the party went on till Sunday night.
Outside independent houses and apartments, colourful and beautiful Rangoli patterns greeted the visitors. Social media and messaging apps were used extensively to greet the loved ones. People who wanted to use the cab services were inconvenienced either due to the high pricing or lack of taxis.
Public representatives, Ministers, higher officials of various government departments and representatives of employees associations besides known personalities from different fields reached the ‘Pragathi Bhavan’ to greet Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
