Only For The Birds!

Mumbaikars beware. Chowpatty has been declared one of the city8217;s badlands by Pramod Navalkar, the guardian of public morality. From midnight to dawn the beach is going to be forbidden territory for everyone except the seagulls and even they could be in trouble for messing up the sands 8212; the beautification of Chowpatty is Navalkar8217;s second concern. But first things first. What does the minister hope to achieve with this ban? He says decent people don8217;t stroll around Chowpatty late at night.

This will astonish and offend thousands of decent, law-abiding people who entertain themselves there, sometimes past midnight. If the hijras, beggars, homosexuals and the homeless are the nuisance they are said to be, there are surely simpler solutions than sealing off the area. In the first place, people will learn to avoid the beach on their own after a certain hour if it becomes unpleasant in one way or another. Two, if there is a real law and order problem here, better policing is the answer. Making Chowpatty ano-go area is absurd. It punishes those who go there for pleasure and those who try to earn a modest living. Is the city going to solve its problems by sending everyone to bed after dark? People milling about is what makes Mumbai8217;s streets and open spaces safe. Chowpatty began to get unsafe when the police forced pubs and other establishments there to close early. Fewer people out, more trouble.