<img alt="" src="/imagedata/2009/jan/cafe.jpg" align="right" border="1" />A CRACKDOWN by the police and a slew of security measures has either forced the cyber cafes in the city to close down or hike charges. Close to 50 per cent of the cyber cafu00c3u00a9s have shut in the last two years. "At least four cyber cafes have shut shop in the last few months in Ghatkopar," claim cyber cafe owners. Increased costs of maintaining a cyber cafe due to the new rules, including CCTV recordings and photocopies of ID proofs, have forced them to take this step. "Licensing rules do not mention the need to maintain CCTV cameras and recordings of images of the customers or maintaining the photocopies of the ID proofs of all the customers visiting the cafu00c3u00a9s. The only requirement is to maintain a register or log book with the details of the customers and the ID proof detail shown to the staff. However, the local police stations may be insisting on the other things. The demands of the police and the reluctance of the customers to give all details results in lesser business," said Ashish Saboo, president of the Cyber Cafes Association. "About four cyber cafes that I know of have closed in the last few months. We will be forced to hike charges, as we have to spend close to Rs 25,000 only for the CCTV camera. Besides, we also have to keep two extra staff to maintain the register and also buy original CDs of Microsoft," said Ashok Shetty, owner of Babas Cyber Net at Ghatkopar. Vijaysingh Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) headquarters, said, "The cyber cafu00c3u00a9s are supposed to maintain identity records, but we are not insisting that they capture the images of the patrons. If they are doing it at the local level, it's a good thing." But Jadhav refused to comment on the closure of the cyber cafes or the number of them in the city. "We have to get certificates from the police and capture images of the customers. The camera itself costs a huge sum," said Mohammed Muddassir, a cyber cafe owner at Ghatkopar. "The problem is of a mindset; what is wrong in keeping a record of the customers? All this would help. But cyber cafes have closed down due to the high costs," said Anil Pandey, owner of a cyber cafu00c3u00a9 at Andheri.

Security measures force cafes to shut shop or hike prices

Cyber cafes log out

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