Polls play party pooper

The decision has come as a disappointment to revellers and pub owners alike, though the Excise dept says that they are trying a way to repeal it

The polls in Karnataka in 30 districts and 176 taluk panchayats on December 26 and December 31 will put a major damper on the city's New Year plans.



This is because the election authorities have declared it a dry day. Though Bangalore won't go in for polls, the decision will cover the entire state.

The decision has come as a major disappointment to revellers and club owners alike, but senior police officials say it is routine for elections and similar events.u00a0

Aravind Jannu, Karnataka Excise Commissioner, confirmed that a dry day was declared by the election authority. A spokesperson from the Excise Commission said that they are looking to try to repeal the decision, although no guarantees could be made.

A way out
"We are trying to find a way out," he said. "One option we are looking at is allowing bars to reopen after 5 pm for the New Year celebrations."

Last New Year's Eve saw the excise department collect revenue of Rs 38.32 crore on that day alone, while this year's average daily collection has been about Rs 4 crore.

This means big business for club, bar and disco owners, who were understandably upset and dumfounded by the decision.

Big disappointment
One prominent club owner from Bangalore who has been in the business for more than 12 years said it would be disastrous if the decision were to remain in force and was critical of the current administrators.

"This has come as a big disappointment. For pub owners and revellers. This is the day people look forward to all year for partying. Needless to say, the loss of revenue is very discomforting as well."

He added, "This is not the first time officials have made a bad decision. In the past they have told me to drink milk and not beer, as a response to my questioning of some of their policies. We have never seen a worse group of administrators --- they are the last people to protect the industry."

Another club owner alleges that authorities are posturing to secure bribes from vendors, in order to allow sales on the day, though he was quick to add that it was not a normal practice for clubs and pubs.

Five-star hotels around the city normally hold lavish bashes as part of New Year celebrations. The Taj Residency has one such party planned and they said that this would have to be overhauled if the decision is strictly implied. "There are no two ways about it," said a hotel spokesperson.