Bengaluru: When the celebration of the GST took the entire nation by storm, Bengalureans were enjoying the last nightlife over beer at the Central Business District (CBD).
The results of the pubs search at CBD on Zomato, an online restaurant search firm, carries a streamer - alcohol will not be served as per Supreme Court regulation. After the Siddaramaiah Government failed to provide any reprieve to the 340 bars and pubs, and 19 star hotels from the Supreme Court’s ban on the sale of liquor outlets within 500 metres of the highway effective from July 1, the pubs witnessed a dry look on the first day of the ban.
On condition of anonymity, a staff at Church Street Social said, “Last night the crowd was more than usual since it was the last night. From today, we will be serving only the food and the mocktails.” Deccan Chronicle tried speaking to few party animals at the pubs, who were disgruntled at the looming dry spell ahead.
“I am highly disappointed with the ban. The NH is well within the city’s limits and I hope the government’s attempt in denotifying the stretches of highways will not be futile,” said Harsha Kiran, who works for a private firm.
Some came to Hard Rock Café to reminisce the days when the nightlife at CBD was the talk of the town.
“Though I will have to find pubs and bars at different ends of the city, the charm will never be the same. I have a lot of memories attached with the Café. Most of my company’s meetings were successful at Hard Rock Café,” said Abhineet Ankur, project manager at a private software company.
The cafe too had a dull evening with the number of customers falling sharply overnight.
The pubs and bars owners which had a long fight with the government for an extended night life is now worried about the loss of jobs. Upset over the ban, Ashok Sadhwani, owner of The Pub World said, “At a time when the prospect of getting a job is minimal, where will the thousands of bartenders, who have their families, go? The government has snatched away the jobs from them.”
The collateral damage that will result due to the ban is alarming for the state government. The cash-strapped government, which had targeted an excise revenue of Rs 18,000 crore in 2017-18, as against Rs 16,484 crore of 2016-17, will now have to face a loss of Rs 5,000 crore.
