Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Md Shafiqul Islam on Thursday said no outdoor celebration will be allowed on New Year’s Eve like previous years.
"No one can even apply for holding events outdoors. Besides, those hotels who have applied to us will be allowed to hold programmes but those must be held as per our culture. No DJ party will be allowed," the DMP commissioner said.
Wishing the city dwellers a Happy New Year, the Commissioner said this at a press conference held at the DMP Media Centre in the afternoon, reports UNB.
He said although there is no threat centring the New Year celebrations, the members of the Counter Terrorism Unit and the detectives will be on high alert all over Dhaka.
The DMP has taken special security measures in several areas, including Dhaka University, Hatirjheel, Banani and Gulshan, on the eve of English New Year.
The DMP Commissioner said outsiders and vehicles will not be allowed to enter the Dhaka University campus after 8 pm. Vehicles of teachers, officers and employees residing in the residential areas of Dhaka University will be able to enter through Shahbagh Crossing subject to identification after the stipulated time.
"We'll have a security cordon all around the university area. Anyone who wants to enter the area can do it with permission from the university authorities," he added.
The commissioner said the same guidelines are applicable for Hatirjheel and Banani and Gulshan areas. No one will be able to stay at Hatirjheel after 8 pm. Even bikes will not be allowed to enter.
No one except the residents of Gulshan area will be allowed to enter the area, he added.
All bars will remain closed from the morning of December 31 to January 1, the Commissioner added.
Earlier, the government urged people to celebrate on the eve of New Year on a very limited scale due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a press release issued by the Home Ministry on December 14.