People throng tourist spots religious places as India celebrates New Year with fervour

     New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Large crowds flocked to shopping malls, entertainment centres and tourist spots and many visited the places of worship as people across the country celebrated the New Year on Wednesday.
     President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and chief ministers of several states extended New Year greetings to people and wished for prosperity and harmony.
     In the national capital, several roads, especially near the India Gate and Connaught Place, witnessed massive traffic snarls and serpentine queues formed at key metro stations on the New Year's Day.
     Other key spots attracting large crowds included Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, Prachin Hanuman Mandir at Connaught Place, Akshardham temple, and Jhandewalan temple.
     According to a police officer, their main focus was on India Gate, Ashoka Road, Hanuman Mandir and Connaught Place.
     Kajal, who visited Qutub Minar with her family on New Year's Day, expressed her frustration after waiting for over an hour to get entry tickets. "After waiting for so long, all our excitement has faded," she said.
     The famous markets in Delhi also witnessed a large number of shoppers.
     In Maharashtra, the Mumbai police penalised more than 23,000 motorists for violating rules, driving drunk, and obstructing traffic during the New Year celebrations.
     While traffic police penalised 17,800 vehicles and collected Rs 89,19,750 fine via e-challans, city police fined 5,670 motorists.
     A large number of people assembled at prominent places in Mumbai, including the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, and Juhu Chowpatty, to ring in the New Year.
     In his greeting, Prime Minister Modi hoped the new year brings "new opportunities, success and endless joy".
     "Happy 2025! May this year bring everyone new opportunities, success and endless joy. May everybody be blessed with wonderful health and prosperity," he said on X.
     Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also invoked the Constitution in their new year wishes urging everyone to remain loyal to it and nurture democratic values with resolve to keep nation first.
     President Murmu asked the people to renew commitment to work together for creating a brighter, more inclusive and sustainable future for India and the world.
    "Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! May the year 2025 bring joy, harmony and prosperity to all! On this occasion, let us renew our commitment to work together for creating a brighter, more inclusive and sustainable future for India and the world," she said in a post on X.
     People across the country thronged temples and other places of worship to seek blessings of god on the New Year's Day.
     In West Bengal, people visited popular tourist spots and religious places across the state.
     Park Street, Victoria Memorial Hall, Alipore Zoo, Nicco Park and Eco Park in and around Kolkata attracted revellers of all age groups.
     The 'Kalpataru Utsav' held at Kashipur Mutt near Kolkata also added a spiritual dimension to the New Year festivities. The event commemorates January 1, 1886 when, followers of Ramakrishna Paramhansa believe that he revealed himself to be an Avatar.
     Lakhs of devotees also queued at Dakshineswar Kali Temple during the day. Tarapith Temple in Birbhum district also witnessed a massive turnout of devotees.
     In Odisha, lakhs of people visited the 12th century Jagannath temple in Puri to seek blessings of the sibling deities -Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhdra and Lord Jagannath.
     More than a kilometre-long queue of devotees was seen on the Grand Road leading to the temple from Market Chhak to Singha Dwar (Lion's Gate) of the temple.
    "Puri Police is dedicated to ensure a safe and smooth experience for all pilgrims," said Puri SP Vineeth Agarwal.
     Shree Jagannath Temple Administration chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said that keeping in view the ever-growing size of the crowd, the temple gate was opened at 1.05 am on Wednesday and devotees are having darshan of the sibling deities since then.
     In Telangana, temples in Hyderabad and other places of worship witnessed heavy rush as people welcomed the New Year with hope and enthusiasm.
     The devotees visited the Birla temple and other well-known Venkateswara temples at Jubilee Hills, Himayat Nagar and Vanasthalipuram in Hyderabad and at Chilkur on the city outskirts in large numbers.
     Lakhs of tourists and local residents flocked Goa's beaches after midnight to ring in the New Year.
     There was heavy traffic at night on several roads leading to the beaches even as the state police had regulated vehicular movement on busy routes.
     Most of the prominent beaches in the state started getting crowded from Tuesday evening as people turned up in large numbers to witness the last sunset of 2024.
     At the stroke of midnight, people greeted each other to welcome the New Year amid fireworks and musical programmes organised at many beach shacks.
     Members of the Christian community, which accounts for about 30 per cent of Goa's population, attended midnight masses held in churches across the state to mark the New Year.
     Karnataka ushered in the New Year with cakes and parties, selfies and shopping.
     Temples were crowded with people flocking to seek blessings.
     Thanks to the watchful eyes of the police, Bengaluru too saw a largely peaceful celebration, despite people jostling for elbow space in high streets.
     According to Police Commissioner B Dayananda, 11,830 police personnel were deployed on Tuesday night.
     According to traffic police, a special drive was conducted in the state capital on December 31, 2024 to check those who drive under the influence of alcohol. More than 28,127 vehicles were checked and 513 cases registered for drunk driving.
     While house parties and pubs kept Bengalureans busy, tier two cities like Kalaburagi did brisk business in cakes.
     A total of 13 cases were registered in the state capital in connection with the use of fireworks, police said.
     The state government banned firecrackers, sky lanterns and other pyrotechnic materials to ensure a pollution-free celebration.
     Similarly, in Mizoram, 12 people were arrested in the state capital Aizawl for celebrating New Year with firecrackers. A total of 13 cases were registered in various police stations in connection with the use of fireworks, police said.
     The state government banned firecrackers, sky lanterns and other pyrotechnic materials to ensure a pollution-free celebration.
     Meanwhile, the New Year was celebrated across Mizoram with enthusiasm and festive fervour.
     All churches in the state held midnight services to welcome the new year.
     Most churches, including the Presbyterian Church of India and Baptist Church of Mizoram, will hold community feasts to mark the closure of the New Year celebration on Thursday.    

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)