IMPHAL: Amid tight security in place across the state in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit on Friday, people dipped into the festive spirit on New Year’s day.Legions of picnickers converged at spots on the picturesque foothills and mountain slopes circling Imphal valley as well as river banks. Some preferred to take along packed food items, while some prepared dishes at the picnic spot. “We enjoyed mouth-watering dishes like local chicken, fish, eromba (boiled vegetable chutney),” said G Sakhigopal, a picnicker enjoying the day at the banks of the Sekmai river in the foothills of Koubru in Kangpokpi district. Several recreational parks, farmhouses, homes and hotels also hosted New Year parties.Traffic police recorded minor violations like rash driving at several points of the city. As Manipur is a dry state, cops also carried out drives against liquor at various pointsModi will visit Imphal on Friday to inaugurate a bunch of developmental projects, including the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Moreh town on the Myanmar border. He will also lay foundation stones for different projects. Security has been beefed up at various strategic places in Imphal, including Hapta Kangjeibung, where he will address the public. On Monday, a team of Special Protection Group (SPG) arrived here for providing foolproof security cover to the PM.In her New Year greetings, governor Najma Heptulla said, “Let us all observe the day in its true spirit so that it ushers in an era of peace and prosperity in the state.”

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