GUWAHATI, Jan 1 � The New Year celebrations in the city drew in crowds into its riversides and parks as well as to the temples and religious shrines, with the citizens enjoying a break as they rung in the new with aplomb.
While people descended on temples in their hordes, tourist destinations like the State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden and Sankardev Kalakshetra too attracted huge gatherings since the morning.
The State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden sold tickets worth Rs 2, 78,960 with around 27,000 visitors turnout recorded throughout the day.
The other crowd pullers were Sharadanjali Kanan located in RG Baruah Road and Nehru Park.
Among the temples located in and around Guwahati, the revered Kamakya temple atop Nilachal hills witnessed the most inflow of devotees since dawn.
The fact that a 10-day-long Asthalaxmi Mahajagya is being performed in the Kamakya temple for the first time also added to the visitors' interest.
The Umananda temple in the middle of the Brahmaputra, the picturesque Basistha temple, the Sukleswar temple, and the Doul Govinda temple in North Guwahati saw devotees thronging the shrines throughout the day.
Moreover, the market places, especially the Dhabas, restaurants, discotheques and bars too witnessed a footfall.
However, for 200-odd New Year revelers, it was not the right kind of beginning of a brand New Year. Along with the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, various other hospitals recorded a spurt in accident cases, many of those triggered by drink-driving.
According to police official, Police during the last 24 hours had slapped fines amounting to a substantial amount for not adhering to road traffic norms.
