Police, excise squads to prevent crowded parties on New Year eve

Bookings in hotels and tourism facilities being monitored

As part of the vigil in place to prevent rave parties and unhealthy gatherings on the eve of New Year, excise and police squads have started checking the booking records in various hotels, tourism facilities, and homestays. The squads also visited some such facilities in the rural areas of Kozhikode to check the celebration plans and the number of guests being given accommodation on the New Year eve.

“All the Station House Officers have been asked to keep vigil in their area to prevent crowded celebrations after 10 p.m. till January 2. In the wake of the Omicron threat, the message has already been circulated widely through social media for better reach,” said a senior police officer from the Kozhikode Rural police district. He made it clear that the combined squads of police and excise departments would be on duty to enforce the latest directives from the government for checking the pandemic threat.

Meanwhile, some of the tourism facility operators in the district have come up with strong protests over the latest regulations which, according to them would drag the whole industry into crisis again at the peak season. They also alleged that the unexpected cancellation of bookings by tourists was a shocker for many who had a lot of plans to explore the seasonal opportunities.