One-day permits that surged after Porsche accident no longer being issued at bars

In many popular pubs and bars in Pune, the ‘one-day alcohol permits’, mandatory for consumption of alcohol in Maharashtra, are seldom being issued to the customers. The only check in place is that of the age restrictions, where the customers are being asked for age-appropriate government IDs, and that too, not at all locations.

After the Porsche accident in May last year, bars across the city had begun issuing one-day passes to alcohol consuming customers. According to data shared by the State Excise Department with The Indian Express, 1.7 lakh one-day alcohol permits were issued in 2023-24 financial year in the Pune district. This number jumped to a whopping 16.12 lakh permits in financial year 2024-25, showing how police crackdown after the tragedy led to a stricter enforcement of rules.

However, this is no longer the case as outlets have stopped issuing these permits. A popular restaurant and bar chain on FC Road, which had a mixed group with the likes of a couple and their young kids, a few youngsters, and a group of corporate employees, seemed to be oblivious of the permit system when serving their patrons. The staff asked for age-appropriate IDs from their customers, but nothing beyond that.

On being asked if one needed a permit to consume alcohol, the server said, “It’s not a compulsory thing, but if you want one, we can provide you with a pass. It depends on what vehicle you have, are you driving a four-wheeler or a two-wheeler, and even then, it’s just a pass. We ensure that you’re not drinking beyond a certain level, and even if you do carry a pass, it’s just to show you’ve consumed alcohol. If you’re caught by the police, you have to deal with them yourself”. Two other bars on FC Road said they do not even ask for any age-appropriate IDs. When asked whether a permit was required to consume alcohol, the staff replied in the negative. Another popular bar around the Nal Stop area also did not issue any drinking permits to alcohol consumers.

The owner of a bar in Kalyani Nagar told The Indian Express, “We used to issue regular one day permits earlier, but now with time having passed, that practice has eased as well. There was a non-proportional pushback from the authorities, where a lot of the businesses were affected including ours. We have always ensured to serve our customers only after checking age-appropriate IDs”. Another manager from a popular bar in the same locality, added, “We do ensure issuing these permits on weekends when there’s a huge crowd, and we even do it for free, but on weekdays, not as much”.

When the Indian Express reached out to excise department SP Charan Singh Rajput, he said, “The rule should be followed. If there are any bars violating this rule, give us the name. We will verify it and take action.”

Dr Kiran Chavan, a physician and social activist who runs Samvaad Rehabilitation Centre in Pune, said, “You’ll be surprised to know the number of young kids aged 15-18 that I have to deal with. I don’t know how these kids have access to alcohol, but I am sure it isn’t much difficult to have it. These are young people who have no understanding of what alcohol is or how it can affect their health. Keeping this in mind, it is very important for us to adhere to the permit system, hoping it can provide certain measures that keep in mind the age limit that the state government has enforced.

He added, “The police should involve themselves in nurturing more preventive measures, and not just act after something of a big proportion takes place. There should be an ecosystem of healthcare experts, social activists and the police, working in tandem to create more awareness about all that alcohol can lead to. It’s the police who have to foster such an ecosystem, and assign responsibilities with consensus”.

(Ashutosh Sahoo & Divyaja Kalyankar are interns with The Indian Express)