Need more cops to extend nightlife: Auradkar

The City will have to wait longer for a more vibrant nightlife as the top cops are in no mood to extend the deadline for bars and restaurants from the present 11 pm to past midnight.

Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar on Friday virtually ruled out any possibility of extending the deadline immediately, stating that he needed more staff to man the City at night. “Personally, I am for extending the deadline. But, as the Commissioner of Police, let me clarify that I can’t issue such an order considering acute shortage of staff in the police force. Currently, there is a shortage of nearly 2,500 men.

It takes a couple of years for the new recruits to join service after training. We could probably extend nightlife then as we need to tighten night patrol, ”  he said.

Interacting with the media, he said the sanctioned strength of the civil police is 13,000.

 The police would not be able to take a risk by extending the deadline as the decision requires more men, he added.

“There are constant appeals from a few business groups to extend the deadline past midnight. They claim that night shift has become an integral part of the City’s workforce and moreover, the City houses a large number of foreigners and north Indians. But we need to ensure safety of the citizens, especially women, during night. We need to prevent accidents, injuries and deaths on roads. We need to deploy more men on night patrol. Hence, we will not take any decision till that time when we feel confident enough to handle any situation,” Auradkar said.

Owners of hotels and bars sought an extension of the deadline from the present 11 pm to midnight during an interaction with Home Minister K J George last month.
They pointed out that three-star and five-star hotels are permitted to operate till 1:30 am and demanded the same privilege.