Drowning to death in the tax pool

Pool parlour owners say they have problems galore. One pool table costs between Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.5 lakhs, depending on whether it is Indian or imported. The public prefers an imported table, as it is more stable. The minimum area for supporting a full table is 24×18 feet. Each parlour has about 4-5 tables, and the shop rents range anywhere from Rs 15,000 to 50,000 in the city.

Combine this with the costs of “essential accessories” such as high profile decor, music, special lighting, assistants to teach the new comers, advertising and so on.

There is more. “Every time there is even a slighttear on the green carpet, it costs us upward of Rs 30,000 to replace it,” informs Amit Chhabria of Collisions-The Pool Club, located on MG Road. “And this happens pretty frequently.” “Every time a cue breaks (again very often), it means costs of between Rs 1,500 to 2,000,” adds Anuma of next-door-neighbour The Pool-Cyclone.

And, contrary to popular impressions, profits have steadily been going down for the city’s pool parlours since the market is becoming more saturated by the day.

According to Ramesh Khole, proprietor of one of the first pool zones in Pune — The Cafe Down Under (near Wonderland) — “Until a year ago, there were very few pool tables in Pune. Suddenly there has been an explosion of such games. The playing public, on the other hand, has remained more or less constant. The profits, therefore, are getting divided and the margin has fallen very badly.”

There are seven pool parlours on just a 300 metre stretch of MG Road. There are two on one floor of a shopping complex on Boat Clubroad. The city today has almost 300 to 350 pool tables.

Pool, unfortunately for the “pioneers” who had brought in the era for “new sports” is also today loosing out to still newer sports like Ten-Pin Bowling, Go Karting and virtual reality arcades.

The bottomline, therefore, is very clear. Decreasing profits, increasing costs — the proprietors have decided that there is simply no reason to go on.

“We might just turn the place back into an art gallery and start renting it out again. That will get us more profits,” say the Chhabrias, whose six tables would mean an increased overhead of Rs 18,000.

Increasing the costs is not an option according to Ameen Mistri of Top Shot since, “This is a student oriented business, and the minute we increase our prices, business will fall.” All parlours in the city support this.

There is no pool owners association that could take up the cause, and, “Taking on the government individually is like hammering your head against the wall. The court expensesthemselves would wipe us out,” says Marathi author Sangavar who runs Cool Pool at Koregaon Park.

“Sadly, it is the smaller pool parlours that would be affected most, as the bigger ones like Thunderbolt, Havana and Downtown have other games which will absorb the increased costs for pool,” is Downtown’s Sunil Chaitlani’s view.

And there is more cause for the anger. “Why pool? Why not cigarettes and alcohol? Tomorrow will they tax gulli cricket and carrom? Why these distinctions? Pool is after all only another indoor sport.” asks a visibly agitated Nadir of Thunderbolt. He is only one among the few hundreds who are asking the same questions in Pune.

The consumers point of view? “When my son went to a pool parlour, I was relaxed. At least he was not in a pub or roaming the streets,” says Neelima Kondwilkar, mother of a collegiate.

The positions have been made clear. The lights have dimmed. The music is down. The stage is emptying. An era of new sports had come into the city with abang about a year ago. Is it now destined to fade out with a whimper?