High alert in AP capital for New year, Bakri Id

Hyderabad, Dec 31 (UNI) The city police have made elaborate security arrangements for the New Year and Bakri Id celebrations starting tonight.

Apart from imposing traffic restrictions, exhaustive security arrangements are in place to ensure that New Year revellers do not cause law and order problem and pre-empt any threat from terrorist elements.

The police was put on high alert as intelligence reports from Bangalore reportedly alerted that there could be terror strikes on the New Year eve, protesting the hanging of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Though the New Year celebreations start at midnight, police were put in place from Friday to pre-empt any untoward incident. They have already detained over 1,000 people who were allegedly planning disturbances.

Though ISI activities were on the decline in the city, fearing clandestine terror strikes, police have strengthened security arrangements at all government offices and patrolling has been intensified.

Extra security is provided to people reportedly on the hit-list of the ISI. Elaborate security arrangements are in place in the sensitive old city in view of Saddam's execution.

Police personnel are deployed on the tank bund and other flyovers in the city. Forty special teams and 50 checkposts were set up to check drunken driving.

The police had imposed traffic restrictions in the city in connection with Bakri Id prayers tomorrow.

The traffic proceeding towards Mir Alam Idgah would be diverted through Puranapul and Bahadurpura from 0700 hrs to 1100 hrs and during this period vehicles would not be allowed to proceed from Idgah towards Bahadurpura police station.

It would be one-way traffic from Bahadurpura towards Sivarampally.

Cars, RTC buses and other vehicles would not be allowed to enter Idgah via Mir Alam Filter bed 'T' Junction.

After prayers, vehicles would be diverted via Tankbund Road, Boys Town School, Shamsheergunj New Road, Aliabad Road and Charminar to proceed further, a release said.

UNI