COIMBATORE: The New Year celebrations in the Coimbatore region passed off peacefully without any major incidents or fatalities.

As many as 195 vehicles were seized by Coimbatore city police on charges of speeding and drunken driving on New Year's Eve. To curb drunk driving, speeding and reckless driving, the law and order police, along with traffic cops, conducted vehicle checks on Tiruchy Road, Avinashi Road and other arterial roads across the city.

Due to such preventive and coordinated security measures with the deployment of 1,600 police personnel, no criminal incidents, road accidents or other untoward incidents were reported in Coimbatore city during the New Year celebrations. People gathered in the Race Course and other public spots to welcome the New Year. Traffic movement on the flyovers was restricted after midnight by erecting barricades.

On the first day of the year, hundreds of people descended on the Hogenakkal Falls in Dharmapuri to enjoy a bath in the falls and take a coracle ride in the Cauvery river. Tourists also flocked in large numbers to hill destinations like Ooty to usher in the New Year.

At the Government Botanical Garden, the visitors were allowed after a long time of restriction to enter the sprawling lawn area. Tourist footfall was also high in the Boat House, Rose Garden and other spots. Police had a tough time regulating traffic on the ghat roads, which witnessed traffic snarls at night.