Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday directed the police to ensure tight security in the state capital and elsewhere during the New Year celebrations.

Parameshwara held a meeting with senior police officers including the Director General of Police Alok Mohan and Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda to review the security for the new year celebrations.

Addressing reporters here, he said steps have been taken regarding traffic management, regulations of bars and restaurants and crowd management at key locations such as MG road, Koramangala and Trinity Circle.

“We should assist them (public) in their celebrations. Drugs either coming from outside or going from here should be controlled. They (police) have taken all measures and I have given directions to focus more on women’s safety,” he said.

Emphasising on crowd regulation, the Minister said the police department, particularly the Bengaluru City Commissioner has taken all necessary steps to facilitate people.

Citing past experiences, he said around seven to eight lakh people are expected to gather in Bengaluru city alone.

Stressing that the state government has already declared a war against drugs in Karnataka, he recalled how last week the police busted a drug racket with the arrest of a foreign national and seized banned MDMA crystals worth around Rs 24 crore.

“We have already declared a war against drugs in Karanataka. Infact, Chief Minister himself has openly on the floor of the Assembly declared a war against drugs and we are definitely very serious about it… in the last one month, we know that during new year, there will be a stock piled up for this purpose, so we will definitely be watchful and that’s how they (police) caught MDMA worth more than 24 crores here,” he added.