Anticipating a million revellers at various hotspots in Bengaluru, the Karnataka Government has decided to deploy 20,000 policemen in and around the city on New Year’s Eve. The Bengaluru police will also make use of a heat map system for the first time to assess crowd density.
Home Minister G Parameshwara, who held a review meeting with top police officials regarding preparedness for the celebrations on Sunday, said 14,000 law and order police personnel, 2,500 traffic policemen, 88 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police, 21 City Armed Reserve units, along with 266 Hoysala patrol cars and 250 cheetah patrol vehicles will be deployed. Apart from them, traffic wardens, civil defence personnel and home guards will also be deployed, he added.
During the last New Year celebrations in the city, Parameshwara said over eight lakh people had participated. “This year, officials estimate the number could exceed 10 lakh. Key hotspots include MG Road, Brigade Road, Indiranagar, Koramangala, and Neeladri Road in Electronic City,” the minister added.
The police will also install watch towers and 180 focus lamps at sensitive points to enhance security. Eight transport hubs will be formed to help people return home safely, Parameshwara said.
Among other measures initiated by the police are setting up safety shelters, installing 250 temporary CCTV cameras at celebration venues, AI-powered facial recognition cameras to identify individuals with criminal backgrounds, and drone surveillance to monitor crowd density. The police have also issued strict guidelines to bars, restaurants, and malls, Parameshwara said.
The minister said that a heat map system will be used to track crowd density. Red zones in the map will show places of very high crowd density, yellow zones with moderate density and green zones with low density. A QR code-based system will also be in place to provide real-time updates on ambulances, traffic, and public safety.