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After death of two youngsters, Kalyaninagar residents demand action against late night disturbances
The locals have repeatedly complained about these establishments flouting rules and leading in turn to a multitude of ills such as honking at ungodly hours, unauthorised parking, speeding and drunken driving, etc
An accident which occurred in Kalyani Nagar at around 3am on Sunday, May 19 – claiming two lives – has brought to a head the residents’ concerns over the proliferation of pubs and restaurants in the area that continue to operate beyond their official closing times with impunity. The locals have repeatedly complained about these establishments flouting rules and leading in turn to a multitude of ills such as honking at ungodly hours, unauthorised parking, speeding and drunken driving, not to mention the rowdy behaviour and violence that patrons of these places often indulge in.
The accident, in which two persons lost their lives, has left the residents of Kalyani Nagar numb with shock and they are now insisting that action be taken urgently against the errant pubs and restaurants and the nuisance caused by them. Indeed, Kalyani Nagar has become a hotbed of pubs and restaurants and more and more of these establishments are coming up in the area even as scant attention is being paid to the rules surrounding their operations. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic ended and the restrictions imposed on these establishments were lifted, most of them have been operating beyond their 1.30 am deadline, much to the dismay of residents.
Rachna Agarwal, chairperson, Team Swachh Kalyani Nagar (TSKN), a resident body, said, “All the rules have been broken. No parking or traffic regulations are being considered. There are parked cars everywhere. Where are the police? Where is the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) which gives these establishments permission? Where is the excise department? Why are they not responding to our concerns?”
Drayson Dixon, vice-chairperson, TSKN, said, “This accident has raised concerns primarily about drinking and driving and also about the enforcement of the pubs’ and nightclubs’ deadline of 1.30 am. These two factors coming together may have contributed to the occurrence of this tragedy.”
While TSKN has been following up with the authorities, going so far as to voice their grievances, along with supporting facts and figures, to the police commissioner, the resident body does not have the resources to cover the entirety of the area. A permanent solution is required to put an end to the residents’ problems.
Agarwal said, “We are not against the celebrations. We are against the system and the fact that none of the rules are being followed and everyone is having to suffer for it.”
The residents of Kalyani Nagar have been actively pursuing the enforcement of closing times of these establishments and traffic regulations for a while but without any success. Some of these pubs and restaurants have even stopped asking housing societies for no-objection certificates (NOCs).
