2024-06-02 04:29:53
According to the Bombay Prohibition Act (1949), people aged 21-24 are allowed to consume beer and wine only, while hard liquor is permitted for those aged 25 and above.
Confirming the development, a representative from a prominent hospitality association said restaurants and pubs were no longer allowing patrons to dance near their tables too, as this is in violation to the rules.
“Many guests like to drink outdoors. But now, we are only allowed to serve in a four-walled permissible area. People have, however, not taken this well, but we have no other option as it’s part of the excise rules. Another significant change is that pubs, where live music was earlier played, are now cancelling these events out of fear of the authorities,” the representative said.
These strict measures have raised concerns among guests, who feel that the rules are hampering the overall dining and nightlife experience. A 23-year-old working professional, who recently visited a resto lounge in Koregaon Park, said, “I was denied entry after I showed my ID. I promised them that I would only consume beer, but they politely asked me to leave as I am under 25 years of age.”
In fact, a big board outside a popular resto lounge in Koregaon Park read, “Strictly 21 years of age and above.”
Ajinkya Udane, Pune Co-Chapter head of the National Restaurant Association of India , said, “I have spoken to a lot of pubs lately, and they are not taking any chances, allowing only those aged 25 or more. It’s becoming difficult for resto owners to handle the situation. It is hard to monitor if those aged 21-24 are sticking to beer and wine only, considering they are seated among people aged 25 and above, who can consume hard liquor.”
As a matter of fact, several pubs and lounges TOI spoke to have voluntarily stopped serving alcohol or shut the restaurant for a few days after the recent excise checks, despite having valid licences.
“This is being done out of fear of the excise authorities,” said a lounge owner in the Mundhwa area. “It’s a grey area, and we do not know how to monitor patrons once they are inside the premises, even after checking their IDs. This left us with no option but to stop serving alcohol despite having a licence,” he said.
The owner of a European bar and restaurant in Koregaon Park said, “We have stopped the entry of those below 25 years of age. It’s challenging to keep track if people sitting at the same table are of different ages; and how do you monitor that those between 21-24 years of age are only drinking wine or beer? We check their IDs on DigiLocker as photocopied IDs are not allowed.”
Another club owner said, “We are strictly checking ID cards and only allowing entry to those aged 25 and above. People who are 21 years of age and under are not allowed entry at all because it’s difficult to monitor if they are consuming hard drinks once inside.”
The owner of another lounge in Koregaon Park said, “It was getting very hectic to differentiate and monitor which age group gets which kind of drink with so much rush. We have, therefore, stopped serving liquor and don’t know when we will restart.”
The manager at a bar in Balewadi said the establishment started barring entry to those aged under 25 from Friday.
The manager at another resto lounge in Mundhwa said, “We had shut the lounge for a few days after the excise department started taking action. We have a valid liquor licence but didn’t want to take a chance. We resumed operations on Thursday but only for food. We are no longer serving any alcohol because a small slip is causing the excise department to shut establishments. For instance, one establishment was following all rules, except that they had one customer drinking without a permit, which the excise department termed a violation. Many restaurants that were serving liquor till a few days ago have decided to stop serving alcohol completely, even to those above 25 years of age.”
