Most popular hangouts wore a deserted look in Thane, Kalyan

Due to the pandemic, the Thane police claimed that the crowd at the regular hangouts in the city was not even five per cent of that expected on New Year’s Eve. Places like Masunda Lake, Upavan Lake and Hiranadani Meadows in Thane, Khadakpada, Durgadi, Ghadhari of Kalyan and Phadke Road in Dombivli wore a deserted look owing to heavy police presence at all these locations.

Police officials claimed that for the first time in decades, they have seen hardly any persons on the roads in the city. Kasarvadavli police who are on duty every year near Gaimukh, Hiranandani area, claimed that there were no people on the road.

Kasarvadavli police inspector AE Kaldate said, “We started patrolling since early evening and asked people to shut establishments by 11pm. For the first time in all these years, there were no youngsters or families loitering on the road. Every year, there are hundreds of people crowding the eateries in the area. Many preferred to stay indoors for celebrations. There were no complaints of nuisance or disturbances from any society members or citizens regarding any issues or problems on the day.”

Read more: Only 35 drunk drivers arrested in Mumbai on New Year’s Eve

The story was the same along Upavan Lake, infamous for late night bike stunts and other illegal activities. The lake also sees a large crowd, especially youngsters, on New Year’s Eve. Senior police inspector of Vartak Nagar police station, SB Gaikwad, said, “Lots of people including youngsters gather to bust crackers, cut cake, party here and play loud music on New Year’s Eve. But this time, apart from drink-and-drive cases done by traffic police, there was nothing in the area. It was quiet for a major part of the night.”

There was no crowd in the hotspots of Kalyan, Dombivli and Bhiwandi too as per the local police stations of these areas. Since most shops were closed by 11pm, people chose to stock up and celebrate indoors. Few youngsters were there at Durgadi before 10pm but they too dispersed after the police presence increased in the area.

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