03 March,2009 01:39 PM IST | | Agencies
A survey conducted by the NGO Campaign Against Drunken Driving (CADD) on 'current patterns of drinking amongst youth in Mumbai' has revealed that Mumbai has the maximum number of underage drinkers, reported the DNA.
Alcohol consumption in the 14-16 years age group in Mumbai is 18.9 per cent as compared to 15.9 per cent in Delhi.
The survey cites easy availability of alcohol and lack of any checks at the point of sale as reasons for teenagers in the city guzzling more booze.
In both metros, 14- and 15-year-olds are drinking liquor, which is hardly surprising given that nearly 43.9% of respondents below the age of 16 and 38% of those below the age of 18 linked alcohol with glamour. The survey states that none of the respondents in the survey had ever been checked for proof of age at any liquor vend, bar, or pub and the average age at which people in Mumbai begin drinking is 15 years.
In a scathing indictment of the law-enforcement agencies, the survey states, "There is no evident structure of implementation of underage drinking laws by the police or the excise department in Mumbai."
Overall, alcohol consumption in Mumbai has increased 110 per cent in the past nine years. Youth contribute to nearly 60% of this increase.
Thousand youngsters in each metro were surveyed between November 2008 and January 2009.
