Dance into the New Year safely

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As the city plunges into celebratory mode for the New Year, in the midst of wild partying it’s important that women have a hassle-free time and Delhi Police, city clubs and various cab service providers are gearing up to ensure the same. While there will be more checkpoints and cops in the city than any normal night in the coming week, pub owners have made special arrangements so that the women reach home safe. The number of bouncers keeping a close eye on the revellers has gone up, the premises are under video surveillance and there will be valets driving you home in case you have partied too much.
“On days when people want to party hard, they prefer cabs to their own vehicles. So we are expecting heavy bookings for December 31st and we will ensure that more and more cabs are available at all time to all especially women. We will also make certain that we send out the right kind of chauffeurs to avoid any bad incidents,” says Sakshi Vij, head marketing, Easy Cabs.
Restaurateur Riyaaz Amlani, CEO and MD, Impresario, says, “We insist on having our valets drop single women home. Also anyone who has had too much to drink and does not have a driver is sent home in a Meru cab. We have been doing that for some years and we don’t charge any extra for it. After all the safety of women is of primary concern for us.”
Seconds Saurabh Khanijo of Kylin, “Nobody wants to start the New Year on a sad note, so it’s always better to be prepared. We will also have extra drivers ferrying sloshed party hoppers and have made adequate arrangements to manage things in case of an emergency. There will be extra bouncers to prevent any unpleasant incident. Since the cops are really strict this time, we have not extended the party hours and will shut shop sharp at 1.”
The Second Sin in Saket will have an army of bouncers plus there will be no stag entries, which means women will have no reason to worry about. “The senior management will also be there to overlook the proceedings to ensure a smooth run of events,” says Kushagra Nagrath, COO, Alchemist Hospitality.
While Delhi Police’s spokesperson Rajan Bhagat refused to divulge any details regarding the measures they are going to take to ensure a safe time for women, joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg said that hotels, restaurants, pubs, clubs serving liquor and wine shops will be under the police radar. He adds, “We are not going to be easy with drunken drivers and traffic violators. We will employ additional force to discourage drinking in public or cars.”
Women on the other hand feel that there is no point depending on anybody and it’s always advisable stay in control. Marketing professional Tarika Mehta says, “Even if we are in control, it’s best to stay in group, hire a cab, avoid lonely stretches, tank up if you have to drive and keep your phone charged and stay in touch with your folks as it’s difficult to trust anybody these days.”