JOIN USThe City is seemingly its old self, despite the extension of nightlife till 1 am during weekends (Fridays and Saturdays). At least that is what the police, who earlier feared a spurt in criminal activities, believe.
“Life is as it was before the extension of nightlife in all areas barring the Central Business District (CBD), Indiranagar, Koramangala and Marathalli,” Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar told Deccan Herald on Thursday.
The extension of the deadline for bars, bar-attached restaurants and liquor outlets was viewed by the police as a challenge, given the possibilities of a surge in crime rates. Hence, they decided to study the situation after the deadline extension.
The study has revealed some interesting facts. The clamour for extended nightlife, witnessed days before the decision in this regard was taken, died down soon after.
There has been no problem for the police so far, as there have been no untoward incidents and traffic-related problems. However, parking has been a problem in the CBD area, Indiranagar, Koramangala, especially near Jyothi Nivas College. Vehicles are parked in a haphazard manner and youngsters are sighted drinking, sitting inside vehicles, Auradkar said.
“Our study of nightlife was aimed at observing the movement of vehicles and their direction of travel. The study, so far has indicated heavy vehicular movement only in the CBD area during late night, compared with other days,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) B Dayananda said.
The number of drunken driving cases was expected to shoot up considerably on Fridays and Saturdays due to the deadline extension. The study revealed no significant increase. Drunken driving incidents were slightly higher on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, as the police booked between 800 and 900 cases before the deadline extension. The numbers were more or less the same in the last three weeks, he said.
The police spotted the same groups at the liquor outlets during the weekends. A few of them started early and left the outlets late. The alcohol level had come down drastically once they were out on the roads, he said.
The groups were mostly elite and educated people who conducted themselves decently and responsibly. Hence, there were no untoward incidents and incidents of scuffle with the police so far.
Excluding that section of society, others did not want to enjoy the “weekend” as they felt they would be “weakened for work” the next day. Owners of a majority of bars and restaurants chose to down the shutters early as workers refused to work late into the night, he said.
Sensing security-related issues, the police had deployed additional forces during the first week (of nightlife extension), but withdrew it later. Even the liquor industry is yet to register brisk business. There is just around five per cent increase in the sale of liquor.
The police would continue to watch carefully, said senior officers and added that things could change in the days to come due to the upcoming parliamentary elections.