Hyderabad:
It was an announcement much-awaited by one and all. The Hyderabad Traffic Police, under whose jurisdiction falls the Outer Ring Road, infamous for speed racing, on Monday released a list of rules to be followed by hoteliers/event organisers, to ensure party goers reach home safely.
"The department will ensure all its workforce is deployed and working through the night. We will stretch ourselves to ensure accidents don't occur and parties remain within limits," said Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, Commissioner of Police, and Hyderabad. Asked about additional security arrangements for Outer Ring Road, Tirumala Rao hinted at increasing the number of checkposts.
Atul Singh, joint commissioner of police (law & order), said, "We are considering restricting vehicular movement on Outer Ring Road for three hours on New Year's eve, allowing only airport bound vehicles to travel on the road. This way we can ensure vehicles which intend to speed on the Outer Ring Road are denied entry. But there are a number of modalities and problems we need to sort out first, like how to confirm if a vehicle is airport bound or not, as well as the need for greater patrolling along the entire stretch."
The assistance promised by the government on providing interceptor vehicles, as well as in setting up checkposts every 5 km on the Outer Ring Road last week after the death of former minister Komati Reddy's son though, is yet to take shape. But unkept promises apart, Tirumala Rao radiated confidence about his team, "We are here to ensure you celebrate New Year without any problem."