Pune police commissioner forms joint committee to ‘discipline’ pubs, bars in Kalyani Nagar, Koregaon Park, Mundhwa

Assistant commissioner of police (Yerwada division) is the secretary of the joint committee, which will have four more members, including representatives of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune District Collector, Maharashtra excise department and a reputed citizen from the region.

Kumar has asked the joint committee to verify whether the pubs, bars, and restaurants in Kalyani Nagar, Koregaon Park and Mundhwa are operating beyond the prescribed time limits and to check if there is sufficient vehicle parking space at and around these establishments.

The joint committee has also been directed to find out whether any traffic congestion is occurring because of these establishments in the evening,  especially during the weekends. The committee will also look into the complaints of illegal liquor sale at rooftop restaurants and other establishments not having permissions for permit room.

The committee has been asked to check whether roof top restaurants and other establishments where music is played is prescribing to the permissible noise levels or not.

The commissioner said the joint committee has to take local residents from Kalyani Nagar, Koregaon Park and Mundhwa into confidence and take stern legal action against pubs, bars, restaurants violating norms. He has also asked the joint committee to submit its action taken report within 15 days.

Last month, residents of Kalyani Nagar held a public interaction to highlight growing concerns over the increasing number of pubs, bars, and restaurants in their neighbourhood. Residents had cited issues such as parking shortages, encroachment, noise disturbances, and alleged violations in licensing norms as reasons for growing distress.

Residents had expressed concern about bars operating under showroom licenses, questioning the legal basis for such conversions. Some residents also alleged that public drinking, loud altercations, and suspected drug use have become more visible in the area.

The residents had demanded that no further licenses be issued in the area until a comprehensive audit of existing operations is completed. They also asked for stricter enforcement of noise and parking regulations, and for commercial establishments in residential zones to be reviewed for compliance.

The Pune city police intensified the drive against the alleged “disorderly conduct” at and outside the pubs and restaurants after a 17-year-old boy driving a Porsche car under the influence of alcohol knocked down a motorcycle, causing the death of two IT engineers, at the Kalyani Nagar junction in Yerwada on May 19, 2024.

After the mishap, residents of Kalyaninagar and Koregaon Park have demanded action against the untoward activities and problems caused due to the extended hours of the pubs and restaurants in their area.