Ready to party? So are cops, taxmen

MUMBAI: Of course, the city’s uber-chic party animals are all set to ring in the new year on luxury yachts off the Gateway of India. The less fortunate can blow up Rs11,500 at a suburban five-star hotel to catch a 20-minute live performance by film star Bipasha Basu.

The Income Tax department, hoping for a year-long party, will apparently keep a keen eye on the spendthrifts.

Also keeping vigil will be traffic police, armed with breathalysers, for high-spirited drivers. Western Railway and BEST have geared up to give the guzzlers a choice by running late night services.

There will, of course, be the multitudes as usual thronging Marine Drive, Gateway of India and the beaches.

Talking of beaches, Goa’s reputation as the best place to party is under threat not only from SEZ protesters but also Malvan, on the Konkan belt, with about two lakh headed towards it.

Those who prefer the hills to the sea – and there are many – are headed towards the mighty Sahyadris, for a memorable trekking adventure, that they hope will stay with them for years to come and not only 2008.