Under fire from the Supreme Court for failing to comply with its order to issue licences for re-opening of dance bars, the Fadnavis government has come up with a new set of regulations, including making CCTV cameras mandatory in bars that are expected to open soon.
Highly-placed sources in the department said as per the draft proposal, the number of dancers will be restricted to four to make surveillance easier. The dancers must be aged 18 and above and should neither wear provocative/obscene/vulgar clothes nor booze around that time.
A five-feet gap between the dance floor and the visitors will be made compulsory. Besides there will be a ban on showering of currency notes on the dancers, and smoking would not be permitted inside the bars.
"Implementing the regulations would be the job of local police. Also the licence holders will be bound to follow changes that we may make in the regulations from time to time, else their licence will be cancelled," said a senior officer.
Sources said the new regulations will be put up before chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who's handling Home portfolio, for the final consent.
On October 17, while directing the government to issue licences, the court had added a caveat that "no dance performance shall remotely be expressive of any kind of obscenity in any manner" and that "licensing authority can take steps so that the individual dignity of a woman is not affected and there remains no room for any kind of obscenity".
Sources in the department said that in 2006, soon after Bombay high court had first turned down the ban, a committee was set up under the home department to look into measures that can restrict exploitation of women and youth. "Some of the above mentioned measures were then recommended by that committee," the officer added.
KILLJOY CURBS
Only 4 dancers allowed
CCTvs in bars a must
Minors can't perform
Dancers not to drink
No-smoking restriction
No showering of notes
No getting near dancers
Dress code for dancers
