Amid a growing chorus for justice for the two IT professionals who were allegedly mowed down by a drunk teenager driving a Porsche in Pune's Kalyani Nagar, the excise department has launched a crackdown on bars, pubs, clubs, and rooftop restaurants in the city. So far, action has been taken against a total of 71 establishments. The violations included operating beyond the 1:30am deadline, serving liquor without permits, serving liquor outside the licensed premises, and serving liquor to minors, among others.
Besides, the Pune City Traffic Police have also launched a crackdown on drink and drive across the city. In 48 hours, the police registered 202 cases of drinking and driving on Friday (May 24) and Saturday (May 25). Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the official handle of the traffic police informed, "After the Kalyani Nagar accident, the Pune City Traffic Branch has launched a crackdown in the entire city, during which motorists were checked at night, and drink and drive cases were filed against 85 motorists on May 24." "Similarly, 117 were booked on May 25 during a nakabandi at 32 places and after checking 1,409 vehicle drivers," the police added.
These actions by the excise department and the traffic police are now acting as a deterrent for Punekars who usually head to pubs and clubs on weekends. The establishments wore a deserted look this past weekend, resulting in heavy losses for them.
An X (formerly Twitter) user shared videos of a couple of popular clubs in the city which were empty. He wrote, "Pune clubs are empty. The crowd that used to party the most (high school kids and college kids) are not even being allowed to enter. They have stopped serving alcohol in the clubs except near the bar area. Even 40-50 years old people are being asked to show IDs for entry." Sharing a video of one of the most famous clubs in Pune, he wrote, "Empty!! In the usual (non-strict) era, you won’t even get space to stand here. How are they going to pay rent this month?"
Meanwhile, others commented that this won't be the case for long. "Whenever there is a serious accident, police enforce the law very strictly. After a few weeks, it would be the same as was before the accident," commented a user. "That is just temporary. The Porsche accident news is hot and hence so much caution and diligence everywhere. Soon people will forget and it'll all go back to how it was," shared another.
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