With police having issued no permissions for the hugely popular outdoor parties even as New Year's Eve nears, the buzz among event organisers is that cops will not allow open-air dos this time
With police having issued no permissions for the hugely popular outdoor parties even as New Year's Eve nears, the buzz among event organisers is that cops will not allow open-air dos this time
Already upset with the deadline for parties being 12.30 am this year as well, partygoers looking forward to open-air New Year's Eve dos in the city may now have to contend with another disappointment.
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The police have still not given the go-ahead for any parties in open spaces, and with less than two weeks left for year-ender celebrations to begin, the buzz among event organisers is that there may be no big open-air parties at all this time.
Nightclubs and restaurant owners said that hosting parties in open spaces was strictly out of bounds for event organisers this year.
Ganesh Shetty, president, Pune Restaurant and Hoteliers Association, said that last year four to five outdoor parties happened, but it would not be possible this time.
"The police have refused to give permission to hosting parties in open spaces; parties will have to be held indoors," said Shetty. "After the early deadline, it's another blow."
Police say
Police officials confirmed they had not given any permissions so far.
"We can not give permissions to outdoor parties just like that," said Sanjeev Singhal, (Additional Charge) Additional Commissioner of Police. "There are certain criteria that need to be fulfilled, like premises, previous history of the area and parking facilities, after which a decision is taken."
An official from a nightclub in Koregaon Park clarified that the police restriction applied only to events that were not associated with brick-and-mortar establishments.
"The rule is for venues where parties are held by individual organisers and not for established places like restaurants or nightclubs with open spaces," said the official. "We have no issues to deal with for the time being."
Three years ago, open-air parties drew large crowds, mostly at venues from North Main Road to Mundhwa. With tickets priced between Rs 1,500 and 3,000 per couple, quite a few of these parties had managed to attract more than 500 people with some of biggest musicians present to entertain the guests.
Event organisers hit
The police decision has affected the business of event organisers, who earn big bucks during the year-ender celebrations from Christmas to New Year's Eve.
Vishal, an event organiser, said it was unthinkable now to hold parties at the popular open-air venues that extend from Koregaon Park to Mudhwa. Rohit Jacob, director of an event organising company, said the police cited various reasons, from drink-driving and security to complaints from neighbours, for the denial of permission.
But you may still keep your fingers crossed; it is a common experience for organisers to be kept hanging on a particular issue by the police till the last day, with the go-ahead finally coming after the police find no issues. In the past, such go-aheads have come as late as five hours before the event.
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