Indiranagar, Koramangala say cheers to closure of bars

Residents of Indiranagar and Koramangala, who have complained about loud music and unruly behaviour by people after consuming alcohol, are happy about the impending closure of liquor establishments, though some expressed disbelief.

As many as 15 liquor establishments in Indiranagar and 49 in Koramangala have been classified as National and State Highway licence holders.

According to the Supreme Court order, closure notice has been served to many of them situated within 500 feet of the highways. With the government failing to get any relief from National Highways Authority of India, there seems to be no option for many establishments than to shut or stop serving liquor. “It is really a good measure. It will ensure that our nights are calm. We have had tough times due to drunkards. We look forward to a time when we can walk freely at night,” said Nagaraj Patil of Indiranagar.

Swarna Venkataraman of Indiranagar Residents’ Welfare Association, said, “It is a welcome measure. But, only a handful of the bars will shift or close down. Officials should assess the capacity of an area before giving permission to them. We want a permanent solution to the weekend mess.”

In Koramangala, where about 20 liquor shops face closure, there are some who welcomed the prospect even as others expressed disbelief. “I thought bars will get last-minute relief. I am not a regular party-goer. But I always thought pubs and bars made weekends lively,” said Manjunath K H, a college student.

Fee concession to shift CL-2 bars

The state government on Tuesday issued a notification providing 50% concession in fee for licence renewal for some bars with retail licence which have to shift due to a Supreme Court order. 

This concession, however, applies only to those bars that have CL-2 licence (retail) which will shift in the next three months. At present, the government collects Rs 2.25 lakh for renewal of CL-2 licence which will further come down by 50% during the year 2017-18.

Though the government has allowed shifting of CL-2 establishments between urban and rural areas, the destination of the transfer should be within the same district, as per the
notification.