Ranchi, Dec. 15: Picnic season is for fun and frolic; not for fuss, frown or fatalities. Police in the capital are walking an extra mile to keep it that.

Under an elaborate security plan, winter weekend crowd magnets in and around the capital city - such as Dassam, Hundru and Jonha waterfalls, Dhurwa Dam, Rock Garden, Nakshatra Van and Tagore Hill - are being put under drone surveillance.

Shakti commandos (40 armed women cops on wireless scooters) will patrol these spots and others to keep tease gangs at bay while revellers on the drive will be on tipple leash, thanks to an extensive breathalyser campaign on anvil.

Besides police, the tourism department is also cautious about visitor convenience. It will deploy around 200 paryatak mitras (friends of tourists) at various attractions in Ranchi.

SSP Kuldeep Dwivedi said untoward incidents during the past picnic seasons had prompted them to plug loopholes using man and machine, and the super vigil would be on as early as this Saturday.

"Directives have been issued to all police stations, especially those having picnic spots under their jurisdiction, to be extra vigilant during weekends. Over 40 highway patrol vans have been asked to monitor revellers on the move and ensure no one gets rowdy. Drink driving is one of the major reasons behind fatal accidents during this time. We want to nip it in the bud by using breath analysers," Dwivedi said.

Shakti commandos, the SSP said, would advise women picnickers on the use of the mobile app so that they can raise an alarm, if harassed, without delay. The fair force, raised earlier this year, is a part of the police's quick response team .

City SP Kishore Kaushal said drones would be on vigil in sensitive picnic spots like Dassam Falls, Hundru Falls and Jonha Falls, which are prone to drowning accidents, as well as Tagore Hill that is steeped in history. "Traffic police will conduct breath tests on roads leading to picnic spots and drunken revellers will be taken to task," added.

SP (traffic) Sanjay Ranjan Singh said four breathalysers would be in action from this weekend. "We had not been able to use the devices so long because of some technical glitch, which will be fixed in a day or two."

Director of tourism Waghmare Prasad Krishna said the 150-200 paryatak mitras would warn visitors about peril spots near waterfalls and on hills, among other things.

"We have put up 'danger' signboards, but it helps if someone tells tourists in person about risks involved," Krishna said, adding that all state-run hotels and guesthouses near picnic spots would offer cashless transactions within a week from now.