On the eve of the New Year Celebrations which would be held in a high-profile and unbridled manner tonight, the Chennai Police has warned that licenses of drunken drivers of two and four-wheelers would be cancelled forthwith.

Each year, Chennaiites are in the habit of ushering in the New Year on the sprawling Marina Beach sands by visiting the shores with their families and cutting cakes and eating snacks at the dawn of the New Year around midnight. This year too, they are gearing up for the same kind of celebration braving the chilly winds which are blowing in the city for the past weeks.

It is a very common sight to see the Kamarajar Salai on the Marina filled with lakhs of people from the evening of the New Year eve till the wee hours of 01st January. Cops are usually present in large numbers to ensure that no untoward incident of eve-teasing of molestation takes place. In order to ensure that no such incident takes place this year, the Chennai Police has issued a stern warning.

“Heavy security has been put in place at and around the Marina Beach; in order to thwart bike-racing by youths, as many as 20 anti-bike racing teams have been set up. Check-posts have been set up at 368 places in the city besides Mylapore, Royapet, T. Nagar, Triplicane, Mandhaveli, Guindy, Kilpauk, Adyar, Taramani, Thuraipakkam, Neelangarai and at the Marina and Elliots Beaches.

“In case of drunken driving, the licenses/permits two and four-wheeler drivers would be cancelled forthwith which would create problems for them when they apply for passport, visa in future,” a Chennai police communique has warned.