Midnight deadline upsets pub owners

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After the recent cases of crime in Gurgaon, the administration is planning to take serious measures on pub security. Recent reports suggest that Gurgaon administration wants the pubs and bars shut exactly at the stroke of midnight and cannot operate the two extra hours (till 2 am), although many of them are already paying additional money for the same. Pub owners fear that the decision will only mean serious business loss for many of them.
Inder Bora of The Oak Tree in Gurgaon confirms that their sales have been hit by almost `4 to 5 lakh in the last one week ever since they started shutting down at midnight. “Some of our guests who used to come by 10 pm still pour in but the sale of liquor has been badly hit. We can’t operate after 12 am which is affecting our business at large,” says Inder.
Vapour in Gurgaon paid the extra charge that allows staying open for two additional hourrs — till 2 am. “Basically Gurgaon is home to the corporate crowd and these partygoers mostly drop in post-11 pm. So shutting down a place at 12 am will only mean huge business loss,” says a manager from Vapour.
Amit Sambhi of Pub Nirvana says they have incurred a loss of 25 to 30 per cent in the last one month, ever since they’ve started closing at 12 am. “The clients start coming after 11.30 pm. You can’t curb the freedom of any club or partygoers. What about those who get free late from work? We are a democracy and all of us have the right to do things our way, of course keeping the law in mind. The government should strengthen security system around pubs that operate till late, but shutting them down at 12 am is not a solution,” he says.
Lemp Brewpub and Kitchen now shuts down at 12 am and the authorities tell us that the amount other places are paying for the extra two hours is quite high, so not renewing those licenses could mean a major loss. Mayank Shekhar from the place tells us, “If an incident has to happen, it can happen even before 2 am. The pubs need to strengthen their door policies. That is, they should ensure that no elements of nuisance are accepted within the pub’s premise and should be extremely careful about the kind of people they allow entry. Pubs operating beyond 12 am are paying around `5 to 6 lakh and these are just quarterly licenses. You can’t shut down places at 12 am just for security issues.”