For a city that is perpetually on terror alert and known for its party-hard spirit, an elaborate security plan has been put in place by a gamut of agencies for the upcoming New Year festivities. Women’s security and anti-terror strategies have top priority this season as the police and private players have geared up to give Mumbai’s party hearties a safe night of fun.
The full strength of the Mumbai police, 35,000 personnel, will be pressed into service on the night of December 31. “We are deploying maximum force for bandobast duty on New Year’s eve. Areas with heavy footfalls such as Gateway, Juhu Chowpatty, south Mumbai where people come in large numbers, big hotels and pubs will see tighter security,” Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) told The Hindu .
With an eye on women’s safety, plainclothes police personnel and special anti-eve teasing squads will patrol crowded venues. “Strict action will be taken against miscreants and we have deployed all the necessary measures in place. Our armed component of six quick response teams will also be on the standby,” Mr. Bharti said.
In 2008, two women were molested at Juhu, and a year before that one woman was molested at the Gateway of India by a group of men during the New Year festivities. Police, hotels and organisers of New Year bashes have since been on the alert to ensure women’s safety.
Anti-eve teasing squads, which are already active, will be deployed for each of the city’s 93 police station. These are patrolling parties, which sometimes move with video cameras and also monitor CCTVs.
Security has already been scaled up in markets and malls which see more shopping activity around this time. Remote monitoring, body scanners, metal detectors and deployment of police has been increased in all the locations which are on the radar for possible terror threats or those that have been targeted in the past, such as big hotels and key installations.
In an inevitable focus on drunk driving, some 2,000 traffic police personnel will be deployed at check posts across the city throughout the intervening night of December 31 and January 1.
“In all, about 90 locations will have nakabandi by the traffic police, including women personnel. This will include surprise nakabandis at different places in the night and the next morning. We have requested hotels, pubs and restaurants to make available valet and taxi services to guests who are in an inebriated condition. CCTVs will be monitored for accidents. The traffic police’s New Year drive has already started,” Milind Bharambe, Joint CP (Traffic) told The Hindu .
There are around 1,200 CCTV cameras for Mumbai, besides those installed by private societies and establishments. Remote surveillance will be heavily used to monitor open gathering spaces such as the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Juhu beach, Girgaum and Dadar Chowpatty.
Bolstering the police’s security infrastructure, around 1,000 to 1,500 personnel from private security agencies will be deployed at New Year bashes in both hotels, clubs, restaurants and night bars. “Extra security personnel are coming in to ensure no area goes unsupervised. Safety of women and security arrangements at large are the key areas of focus,” said Adarsh B Shetty, President of Indian Hotels and Restaurants Association (AHAR). He said messages have been sent out to all 9,000 members of AHAR to stay vigilant to all kinds of elements and to alert the police control room or the local police station if they find any suspicious object or activity.
He said the measures for better safety, particularly for women, put in by the police are welcome, as they were suggested by the hotel association too last year. Mr Shetty further said that what has also been an enabling factor this year are the timely permissions from the police and the excise department.
Owners of private security agencies said that double the strength of security guards has already been deployed at places that will register a rush on December 31 night. They also said that police checks are already underway.
Star hotels are going the extra mile to keep checks on their guests. Access control is high on the agenda at some dos. “There is electronic surveillance and five-star hotels are also giving out radio-frequency controlled electronic bands. We will know how many people are inside,” said Vikash Verma, Chairman of the G7 Securitas Group. This year, he added, staff from the security agency will mingle with the crowd in plain clothes to not only keep a check on activities, but also to keep rumours under check.
Security agencies said they were working in close coordination with the police to ensure a smooth December 31 night.
Hoteliers also said that they were expecting the rush to be under control because of the long New year eve weekend this year. “A lot of people will be headed out of Mumbai to places like Alibaug and Goa,” said Mr Shetty.
