BENGALURU: Imagine Indiranagar on a Friday night, quiet, with fewer cars on the road, alcohol-free and not covered in a cloud of second-hand smoke. As hard as that may seem to picture, it is a dream come true for residents who have lived in and around the area for years. With the elections for the Karnataka Legislative Council taking place from the Teachers’ and Graduates’ Constituencies, liquor sales will see a ban once again, as per orders by the Election Commission (EC).
Looking forward to the peace on Friday to Saturday midnight, are locals of the area, which is notorious for its late night commercial activity and street crime rates.
“Friday night is going to be a good night for us, as most pubs and bars will be shut. There will not be any noise until 2 am, drunken brawls in front of my home, parked cars, cabs and autos blocking my driveway and lesser traffic on roads. Times like these take us back to the 80s, when this was a purely residential area,” shares Vinoo Thimmaiah, a resident on 100 feet road.
“Unfortunately, the police, court and BBMP authorities do not have the same kind of control over pubs and bars as they do now. It is only when the EC gives them a rap on the knuckles that the pubs close down. We got a sound night’s sleep on May 12 as well. Otherwise, we are too scared to step out of our homes post midnight. People urinate, vomit and even throw alcohol bottles in my compound on weekends,” Vinoo adds.
The luxury of peace was enjoyed by them even during the re-polls in RR Nagar. They look forward to the same on June 12, when counting will be done for legislative council elections. Dialling 100 for noise complaints is a regular affair for us residents. However, despite the temporary ban on alcohol, some are perturbed by the restaurants and street food joints in this area, which are normally open until 1 am on the weekends.
“There is definitely a significant difference on polling days when it comes to noise levels. There is no loud music until late at night and fewer crowds gathered on the streets. However, local food joints still attract customers even on these nights. Even a small ice cream parlour will see visitors from all around the city on election days,” says Sneha Nandihal, from Indiranagar 1st stage. Illegal commercialisation remains their biggest grouse. Their demand for putting an end to the same was once again brought to light in the charter of demands submitted to elected representatives last month.