Friday, July 2, 2010

Roadside Liquor vends increasing the troubles for public

I was walking towards my home after parking my car (I use a public parking), when I crossed a liquor shop. The Vehicles were parked haphazardly, The 4 lane road was reduced to single lane by the vehicles of the customers, parked on the road. Traffic was just crawling. This is an everyday scene in our neighborhood.

In view of Commonwealth games Government has given an okay to sell liquor in shopping malls. But What I want to ask is what is being done to ensure that this revenue generating business do not generate the Nuisance for the public. Should there be not a rule stating that a liquor vend cant be operated in a area where there is not enough parking space. Also there should be a police constable deployed outside every liquor vend to ensure no drinking on road is allowed. This is a normal practice that the guys would stop their cars (or Bikes) buy a pint of beer open and enjoy it on the road only. Have we not seen it every time we have crossed any such shop? Now should we allow these people to drive after they drink? Its too risky.

This creates multiple problems. The cars (and bikes) are parked on the road leaving only a quarter of the road for people to use. Another problem is once the people have had their beer and start feeling light headed few spoilt brats would try to pickup the fights. This all is happening because Delhi police is short of staff (or that's what is told all the times). Liquor vend is too busy serving the customers that they cant put someone to stop people from drinking outside the vend. Even the shops nearby, do not bother to ask these drinkers not to drink in front of their shops. The space outside these shops becomes the open air bars for them. These shops and hawkers supply snacks and cold drinks so they do not want to loose their customers. And why not? The law leaves every opportunity for defaulters to escape from it. A shopkeeper who is actually providing snacks and even the plastic glasses can easily say I can stop from drinking within my premises but not outside it.

What I suggest is any shopkeeper outside whose shop people are found drinking should be legally bound to register a telephone complaint and ask for help to remove these drinkers. If he do not call the cops he should be fined. Public should be encouraged to make such complaints to the local police station. The telephone number of the local police station should be written in big font outside the liquor vend along with its license number. Even today we have rules that says “no liquor vends are permitted to be opened at a distances of 50 meters from the main gate of a place of worship, educational institution and place of public entertainment”. Police should do random checks and enforce a heavy penalty on those who drink on the roadside and to the shops or vends who allow such behavior.

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Rajeev Lochan Sharma