Bangalore is known for its bars, pubs and restaurants that offer plenty of options for those who want to quench their thirst; but if you feel like shaking a leg and hanging around for longer than the stipulated time, think twice.
The Bangalore City Police have decided to intensify patrolling around pubs, restaurants and popular hangouts in the City. The rising crime graph in the City has provoked the cops to reconsider and redesign their patrolling norms.
The Bangalore City Police say they have information of minors being allowed into pubs without proper verification and they have directed all pubs owners to install CCTV cameras for better crowd management.
Metrolife spoke to the police, pubs owners and people to understand how intensifying patrolling across the City will help.
Additional commissioner of police (law and order) T Suneel Kumar points out that a lot of minors are found hanging around pubs during the day and sometimes at night as well.
"We went for a surprise check to a couple of popular hangouts in the northern part of the City and we found 130 minor boys drunk. That's when we decided to heighten our checks. Most of them were in their early teens. If this is the case in the northern side, then we are sure we would find more such cases in the central areas of the City where there are maximum pubs and restaurants," says Suneel.
He further observes that on several occasions, the police has spotted boys and girls in uniforms in these joints. "School managements and parents too have to keep a tab on children who stray out. They must share an equal amount of responsibility," adds Suneel.
Suneel hopes that the new initiative will help control the spiralling crime graph in the City. He further states that all hotels must close at 11.30 pm. "If the hotels don't follow the deadline, we will be forced to shut them down. And the possibility of cancellation of licence is inevitable," he adds.
The hotels claim that they shut shop by 11.30 pm — but they add sometimes, people start coming in only after 11 pm. The spokesperson of a posh hotel in Indiranagar says, "It's hard to close at 11.30 pm because we still have customers who stay on. I hope the authorities extend the deadline. Nightlife is a must in this City."
When asked about letting minors in, another pub owner of a popular hangout on Brigade Road says, "If we suspect that anybody is underage, we immediately check them. We have three bouncers stationed outside and two inside. We have been directed to install CCTV cameras, which we will do soon."
The young in the City love to party but most claim that they do so with a sense of responsibility. Vikas Konsam, a working professional, thinks that underage drinking must be checked in the City — but by the pub owners rather than cops.
"I would trust an honest pub owner to enforce vigilance over the cops. Cops, we all know, are looking for excuses to make more money in the name of fines."
Girls don't feel very different about the issue. Meghana Harinath, a student of Mount Carmel College, feels youngsters should not dabble in such activities if they are below the approved age limit. "This would lead to an increased possibility of students being vulnerable to addiction and myriad hazards. We must be aware of the bad effects of drinking and be responsible," concludes Meghana.