As the
time
ticked and the night grew on Thursday, the crowd thinned on
FC Road
, MG Road and East Street — the places people throng on New Year’s Eve in the hope of a fresh start the day after.
Not a single reveller was on FC Road as Pune silently walked into 2021. The deafening noise of vuvuzelas was missing. Balloons did not fly. The wide road looked wider in the absence of motorists. It was 12 midnight.
The reveller count on the city roads was virtually indirectly proportional to time this New Year’s Eve.
Silence all around
Police started barricading the FC Road around 10.30pm, as Thailand ushered in the new year. The few revellers still around started their vehicles in a haste, lest they got stuck.
Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Rahul Shrirame said, “On Wednesday, we had decided to stop the vehicular movement on FC Road and JM Road in Deccan, and MG Road in
Camp
on Thursday because we anticipated large number of people visiting these areas for New Year celebrations. But as very few people came, we allowed motorists to use them. As the number of people visiting the FC Road increased around 10pm, we barricaded it.”
In half-an hour, the road was deserted. No vehicles on roadside and shutters down of all shops.
“I can’t recall when FC Road looked like this on New Year’s Eve,” said a resident of a society tucked away from the arterial road.
Time ticks for revellers
At 8.30pm, when Japan stepped into 2021, MG Road was sparsely crowded. Few patrons walked into eateries, too few zoomed past the road.
A few kilometres away, FC Road was comparatively livelier. Some revellers were busy buying balloons. A few walked into bars for a quick drink.
“I shall quickly have a beer and head home. Roads might be closed tonight (Thursday night) much before the stipulated curfew hours,” said Subhojit Choudhary, senior manager of an IT giant.
Far from usual
When
Team India welcomed the New Year in Melbourne at 6.30pm India time, some colourful balloons were up in the skies on FC Road. Many walked down the pavements along the thoroughfare, but nothing in comparison to the usual crowd on the last day of a year. The manager of a popular south Indian restaurant said, “Managing the crowd on this day in other years is an uphill task. This time, tables are empty despite seats being fewer.”
Another day
At 4.30pm, when the New Zealanders ushered in 2021 in Wellington, there was almost bumper-to-bumper traffic on FC Road and JM Road. The scenario was almost the same on East Street and MG Road in Camp.
Some enthusiastic youngsters queued up at popular eateries dotting the FC Road. “I have come early to meet my friends because of possible curbs on vehicular movement on this road later in the day,” said Meenakshi Joshi, a first-year IT student.
(With inputs from
Gitesh Shelke)
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