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Late night parties continue even as police steps up vigil after accident
Following the mishap however, the Pune police are on their toes and keeping strict vigil in these areas
A week after the May 19 accident at Kalyani Nagar in which a 17-year-old boy allegedly dashed a bike and killed two persons, youngsters in the city are continuing to frequent nightclubs and pubs in areas such as Koregaon Park, Vimannagar and Kalyaninagar. Following the mishap however, the Pune police are on their toes and keeping strict vigil in these areas. Teams have been deployed under every police station and accompanied by the traffic police and Pune regional transport officers, these teams are keeping tabs on major chowks and roads for cases of drunken driving.
Hindustan Times decided to take a test drive around Kalyani Nagar, Koregaon Park and Viman Nagar the night of May 24 to get a feel of the situation on ground. The accident notwithstanding, several youngsters were seen hanging out near the pubs, bars and restaurants in these places. What’s more, cars were seen speeding down the same road where the mishap occurred less than a week ago.
At the same time, we saw nearly 10 to 12 policemen and regional transport officers checking vehicles and people suspected of being drunk. In one particular instance, when two police constables tried to stop a Swift car with five youths in it who were suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, the driver of the vehicle simply raced the accelerator and sped away.
Rohidas Pandit, senior police inspector (SPI) from Yerwada police station who was at the Kalyaninagar check post at around 1 am on May 24, said, “In our police station’s jurisdiction, the checking drive is being conducted from 12 am to 3 am wherein our policemen carry out random checks in suspected drunken driving cases using breath analyser machines. Similar checking is being carried out across the city by all police stations.”
Meanwhile, at least three cases of drunken driving were registered by the police at Kalyaninagar over the span of one hour. Jyoti Jadhav, motor vehicle inspector from the Pune RTO who was on duty, said, “Four special squads have been deployed in the city by the Pune RTO for the night checking drive and six ‘Rasta Suraksha’ squads are also carrying out random checks across the city. In this drive, we are checking the license of suspicious looking persons and if they are found to be under the influence of alcohol, we are taking action against them under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.”
On the other hand, youngsters frequenting these pubs and clubs are not happy with the checking drive. Shubham Kalantri, an IT professional, said, “Almost every weekend, friends get together and go out for dinner at night. We book Ola or Uber cabs to travel as most of us are drunk. We are aware of our own safety and we will never support drunken driving. But at the same time, the police too should cooperate with people who follow rules.”
Whereas Kiran Pisal, another youth, said, “Pune is known for its nightlife and we go to Kalyaninagar and Koregaon Park areas as there are many pubs and clubs there. The accident which occurred on May 19 claimed two lives. The state government should not permit these pubs to remain open till 1.30 am. They should be made to shut shop at 11 pm.”
The May 19 accident has put the spotlight on late-night parties and liquor being served to teenagers by pubs, restaurants and bars as much as it has raised questions over the kind of night patrolling and checking being carried out by the police and concerned authorities.
