Restaurants, pubs suffer as they're unable to plan events in advance

Party season on, deadline not set

Restaurants, pubs suffer as they're unable to plan events in advance

Last year, when the police interrupted New Year parties at 12.30 am, little did the revellers know that they could have actually partied on for another hour. This was because even the police had received news of the extended deadline of 1.30 am only at 11.30 pm. The police were themselves confused whether to allow the party to go on or stick to the earlier deadline.

Sources in the police department said as the information about the extended deadline had come at the eleventh hour, they could not inform the people concerned.

"If we are informed about the deadline well in advance, then there will be less confusion and more planning," a police source said.

The last-minute decision by the home department leads to confusion among law enforcement agencies. Ultimately, losses are incurred by the entertainment businesses in the city, including restaurants, pubs and alcohol shops.

A source in the restaurant business said that it not only affects their planning, but also leads to losses. "The police inform us about the deadline a couple of hours or days before the D-Day. We cannot give advertisements because we are not sure about the deadline to serve food and alcohol which makes our task difficult," the source said.

Another member from the Pune District Wine Trader's Associations said they were still waiting for the police to inform them about the deadline.

Deputy Superintendent of State Excise Department R V Nimbalkar said: "We still haven't received the state gazette which announces the deadline from December 24 to 31. It's with the home department and we are expecting it by Friday morning."u00a0

"We are absolutely clueless on what decision the police will take. If we want to request the police to make some changes, there would be no time. December 24 onwards is the peak time for alcohol
consumption."