A murmur of dissent: Questions remain, say activists

The fact that the city will have pockets which will have restaurants and pubs open all night has raised several questions in the minds of residents and activists. Their very first concern was what the government means by “near” railway stations, airports and malls.

“They need to define ‘near’, as the sanctity of residential areas is highly compromised with respect to commercial activities. In our case, the reservation is only residential but still we have nuisance of commercial activities in our area,” said Bharati Kakkad, resident of Union Park, which houses several eateries around Carter Road in Bandra.

Residents of this area have been vociferously opposing restaurants running late into the night. “Pubs and restaurants do not have parking space and that problem affects us. Will this decision not clutter the streets further?” she added.

Some activists, on the other hand, raised the issue whether the city actually needs a nightlife. “I don’t think people from foreign countries come here for the pubs. They have better ones there.

They come here for the local culture. In fact, it is not a good idea to have restaurants and pubs open all night as the government and the police do not have the capacity to provide adequate security,” said Abha Singh, lawyer-activist.

She added, “The police commissioner’s recent statement that women should not venture out even at decent hours was an indication of that. You do not have CCTV cameras everywhere in India, and unlike in Singapore or Hong Kong, the police do not reach any place within five minutes. In fact, do companies have the resources to send women colleagues safely to their homes after their late night shift?”