Pune: After the Pune Porsche Case, Pune’s Nightlife has come to a complete halt in places like Koregaon Park, Kalyaninagar, and Mundhwa, with the majority of restaurants either shuttered or only accepting dine-in customers.
Following the Porsche accident, licenses for 68 establishments were suspended and 148 taverns, pubs, and restaurants were subject to restrictions. The Pune Hoteliers Association’s president, Ganesh Shetty, said that business had decreased by about 30% since the disaster.
Many things have altered permanently on the ground as a result of the crash that happened on May 19 which involved a 17-year-old crashing into 2 people while being drunk resulting in their death on the spot. The excise department is actively targeting venues that provide alcohol, the police have stepped up their campaign against drunk driving, and bar employees are verifying the age of their customers using their identity documents.
In contrast, most businesses in Pune’s nightlife have either closed or are only open for dine-in, bringing the city’s vibrant regions like Koregaon Park, Kalyaninagar, and Mundhwa to a complete stop.
Police officers at the excise department registering liquor permits. Image Source: ThePrint
Action against 185 outlets was conducted around the city till May, according to statistics given by the Pune unit of the state excise department. The state excise department’s deputy superintendent, Sujit Patil, acknowledged that after the accident, the police and excise agency had brought complaints for breaking liquor rules against 145 outlets around the city. When it came to pouring alcohol on roofs, selling alcohol to minors, and being open past the allotted hours, some 62 hotels had their liquor licenses revoked and their doors closed.
The “illegal” buildings at hotels and restaurants, including rooftop terraces and outdoor spaces beside the road, are being served warnings by the Pune Municipal Corporation and are being demolished.
The citizens of the city are seeing a slowdown as law enforcement is operating at full capacity. They are let down out of their enjoyment because, in the three weeks following the disaster, Pune, in which the minimum age to drink is 25, has imposed severe crackdowns. Bars are closing sooner, and patrons are becoming more circumspect.
“The entire city is being punished, as opposed to just one person.” Why penalize those who are above 25 years old? A 44-year-old hairstylist who asked to remain anonymous remarked, “They should enact laws instead.” All people are impacted, regardless of their status as a roadpati or a crorepati.
A worker at a classy pub in Koregaon Park, Pune, claims that in the fifteen years of employment, the rules were never this strict.
Increased Awareness after the Pune Porsche Case
You will probably be given a slip in a bar in Pune today when you sit down, certifying that the establishment has given you permission to lawfully consume alcohol that day. A month prior, prior to the Porsche mishap that brought attention to the law’s shoddy enforcement, this was not the case.
Like Gujarat, Maharashtra is officially a state under prohibition, as defined by the 1949 Bombay Prohibition Act. Liquor sales and use are subject to licenses; people must possess liquor permits in order to purchase or drink alcohol, and alcohol usage is strictly regulated and subject to frequent changes.
For instance, no more than four liquor bottles may be carried by one individual at once. One person cannot purchase additional alcohol for a home party; either several people have to go or a single individual must make many visits. House parties also need an excise department day permission; often, they send an observer to make sure the law is obeyed. Any alcohol left over the following day should be given back to the wholesaler from whom it was purchased. The entire amount of alcohol purchased for the celebration has to be recorded.
According to officials, the agency has been concentrating on locations that sell alcohol in an effort to raise awareness throughout the city.
A shift in mood
The Porsche disaster occurred the weekend following Pune’s Lok Sabha election results; what was meant to be a break after a stressful period instead became an extended ban on partying in the city.
Image Source: Legally.speaking
A 28-year-old marketing executive who asked to remain anonymous said, “I am unable to make an entire day plan because I’ll just get stuck— either due to traffic or the place I’d like to go is suddenly closed.” “I believe we are all bearing the burden of a teenager’s choice of driving intoxicated, that contributed to the terrible accident,” said the person who describes Pune as a melting pot of young professionals and college students.
Additionally, locals note that the 17-year-old’s fortune has an impact on the impacted areas of the city.
According to IT specialist Akshay Rao, “bars and hotels in upscale areas like Koregaon Park and Kalyani Nagar are mostly being scrutinized.” “But it doesn’t alter the reality that tragedies are still happening,” he said, citing an incident in Hinjewadi on May 23 in which a lady pedestrian was struck by a fast vehicle and sent into the air.
An employee of a drinking establishment in Kalyani Nagar said that auto drivers and paan shops have also been impacted by the closure and condemnation of several outlets.
“The city’s atmosphere has totally transformed. We’re irate citizens. The hairdresser said, “Everything has changed.”
