Revellers glam up to ring in the New Year’s Eve at Hazratganj; Police stand guard
Heavy security arrangements were observed at several party venues in the city, with heightened security at Hazratganj where hundreds of Lucknow police were deployed.
The entire Hazratganj stretch from Rovers crossing till DMs residence was thronged as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate New Year with friends and relatives. Hazratganj is one of the most preferred party locations in Lucknow and the heart of the city.
Abhinav Sinha, who works as a digital marketing manager in Bengaluru, said the atmosphere at Hazratganj was absolutely electric, with the market lit up with dazzling lights. “We had gone out for dinner at a restaurant with a group of friends. Unfortunately, it was overcrowded, and we were told to wait for an hour. We dropped the idea of having dinner there and took the metro train, heading to Indira Nagar. From there, we went to Gomti Nagar railway station, where we had a sumptuous meal at a restaurant carved out from an old railway coach.”
Shilpa Sahay, a UPSC aspirant who came from Delhi, said that it was a nice experience to see so many people strolling in the Love Lane area. “The winter chill enhanced our experience. We had a fascinating time at Ganj. We all enjoyed Lucknow delicacies at a famous restaurant, relishing Galawati Kebabs, chicken Tikka, mutton biryani, which was so mouthwatering. Lastly, we tried gajar halwa, which was awesome.”
Heavy security arrangements were observed at several party venues in the city, with heightened security at Hazratganj where hundreds of Lucknow police were deployed.
Police officers were stationed every 50 meters, starting from Atal Chowk to KD Babu Singh Stadium. Amid the large crowd that had gathered from the early evening, mounted cops of the Lucknow Police patrolled on horseback to keep a sharp eye on the revelers.
Security personnel were also seen checking vehicles and shops, as Section 144 is implemented throughout the city. Similarly, the Summit building stretch, another popular party venue at Vibhuti Khand, was heavily guarded by over 50 police personnel.
Traffic diverted; vehicles towed for hassle free party
To ensure hassle-free partying and check traffic congestion, Lucknow traffic police were on duty, towing multiple vehicles, both two and four-wheelers, parked in No Parking zones. Notably, Hazratganj is declared as one of the ‘No Parking Zones’ out of 17 places in the city.
To manage traffic along the entire stretch, home to several clubs and restaurants and a preferred place for revelers, traffic was diverted for the entire day.
“Roadways/city buses coming towards Hazratganj from Charbagh side were diverted and allowed to reach the destination via KKC Tiraha through Kuwar Jagdish intersection, Cantt, or through Hussainganj intersection via Kaiserbagh or Royal Hotel (Bapu Bhawan) intersection through DSO intersection,” said a police press note. No traffic from Hazratganj intersection was allowed to move towards Parivartan Chowk; instead, they were diverted towards Sapru Marg Tiraha to reach Dunlop Tiraha.
