All arrangements are in place to welcome visitors to popular picnic spots and places of religious significance in Jharkhand, as people gear up for New Year celebrations, officials said on Saturday. ? ?

The administration, however, has urged revellers to adhere to Covid protocols in the wake of rising cases in some countries.?Sites of natural beauty like waterfalls, lakes, hills and sanctuaries have already seen increased footfalls in the last few days, a tourism department official said. People have been frequenting the six major waterfalls in and around Ranchi, including Dasam, Hundru and Jonha, and the dams at Kanke, Dhurwa, Rukka and Patratu, he said.

The tourism department has also deputed ‘Prayatak Mitras’ (tourist helpers) at various places in the state. Besides, the government has ensured adequate deployment of security personnel, drone surveillance and availability of divers at the tourist spots, the official said. “No specific guideline for Covid-19 has been issued, but we urge people to take precautionary measures like wearing masks at crowded places and hand sanitisation,” State Tourism Secretary Manoj Kumar told PTI.

The Jharkhand Prayatan Suraksha Samiti (JPSS), an association of the ‘Prayatak Mitras’, has been discouraging consumption of liquor, use of plastic and thermocol-made items and loud sound systems around the waterfalls, its president Raj Kishor Prasad told PTI. Security has been beefed up at 68 places in Ranchi district, a senior police official said, adding, wearing life jackets during boating has been made mandatory. In Dhanbad, entry of vehicles to the popular Maithon Dam has been regulated for better crowd management, a senior Damodar Valley Corporation official said. People have also been flocking to Jharkhand’s religious destinations such as the Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple in Deoghar district and the Rajrappa Temple in Ramgarh district, officials said.