Mid-Day Opinion: Public spaces aren’t meant for drinking alcohol

Representation pic

A BJP MLA recently warned a Borivli wine shop owner against encouraging customers to consume liquor on the roadside, saying a licence to sell alcohol does not permit turning public spaces into drinking spots, according to the Press Trust of India.

The legislator visited a wine shop in Shimpoli on Tuesday. The news report said that according to him, this was the third warning issued to the establishment.

This is part of a campaign of what he called an ‘open bar' culture in the Western suburb. Across Mumbai we must see that people buy their liquor at the wine shops and make their way home/indoors destination where they may consume it.

We have often witnessed open air drinking which is illegal and dangerous. Corners and footpaths become convenient open air ‘addas'. There is a prominent space in Bandra East near a bus stop which turns into a bar at night, with plastic glasses and bottles kept on the wall lined up, as the street furniture functions like a personal table. Some liquor bottles line the road, liquor has even be poured from the original bottle into plastic water bottles. These then, can be seen scattered on the pavement and roads.

While we may see people drinking outside wine shops, some carry the liquor to a meeting point and then, it is drink time with companions quaffing down the quarter in public. The scene is uncomfortable for passers by, especially women and children who may need to negotiate that space on their way to a destination. Small snacks or ‘chakhna' packets also add to the general trash there. Public spaces are not for drinking. That's the message in a bottle - a water bottle.