Live club musicians protest, but iChangeIndiranagar points to violations
Bengaluru: Live club musicians and disc jockeys of the city came together and staged a protest against a ban on live music in pubs and restaurants in the city, at Vapour Pub in Indiranagar on Sunday.
The city police had issued notices to 400 pubs, bars, restaurants and other commercial establishments asking them to obtain licences to play music.
Akshay Prasad from Vapour Pub said that a panel discussion was held to discuss issues faced by musicians and to find a solution.
He said that the ban on venues serving alcohol that host live music in the city has seriously affected the future of hundreds of musicians. It is also affecting the venues, vendors and staff members, who make their living and support their families.
He said that they are trying to find a solution, but resident welfare associations are not ready to discuss the issue of noise pollution with them.
Meanwhile ‘iChange Indiranagar’, a federation of RWAs in Indiranagar, issued a press release, saying, “From the day we began our agitation, our stance has always been that an establishment must comply with the law – whether promulgated by the Municipality, the State Government, the Central Government or orders issued by the Courts. Our understanding is that the majority of these establishments do not have the documentation in place for this license to be issued. In addition, many operate in residential zones. This renders their continued existence a legal, not an ethical or moral, issue.”
In a tweet, iChange Indiranagar said, “Not 1 but multiple violations! Playing with fire quite literally & playing the victim!" and "We care not only for the musicians, but 100s of workers who earn their livelihood & our residential neighbourhood. You love music & musicians but don't care about their safety?! How about abiding by the building bylaws & #ZonalRegulations?!" ‘iChange Indiranagar’ also circulated the notice issued by the fire and emergency department to the Vapour Bar in December last year for violating the fire safety by laws.
