Government has vendetta against us: There is no clarity about how dance bars will function, if at all they are given licence. The government has created a committee to draft guidelines for day-to-day operations of dance bars, but neither former dance bar owners nor those employed by dance bars, like dancers and managers, are on this committee. The regulating department is clueless and so is the implementing and monitoring authority, i.e. the police.
The government had banned dance bars but the Supreme Court has directed that the ban on dance bars be lifted. However, instead of working towards reopening the dance bars, the government is simply trying to delay the process and going against the apex court order. The draft guidelines talk about increasing taxes — a ploy to not let dance bar owners reopen their business.
Dance bars in Mumbai have been pioneers in live entertainment worldwide. Borrowing a leaf from Mumbai, Dubai, too, set up dance bars that are running successfully. They too have rules but these do not pose a hindrance to operations. The authorities and owners need to work hand-in-hand. We don’t have any personal grudge against the government, but it seems that the government has a vendetta against us.
When the ban was imposed, it said that the move was to prevent youngsters from getting spoilt and protect family men from unnecessary distractions. But now it is a matter of prestige for the government. The guidelines that the government is putting in place are not practical. They not only want CCTV cameras at entry and exit points for safety purposes, which can be agreed upon, but also at staff entry gates. Why doesn’t it understand that we have goods coming in from these gates and not just staff moving around? Why do they want to monitor the movement of our employees? One of the guidelines allegedly requires an open ground either at the back or front of the establishment, which is almost impossible in a city like Mumbai. Space is at a premium here. How is anybody going to afford keeping an open ground? The government only wants to make our lives difficult.
The Supreme Court said the ban on dance bars was improper because of livelihood issues, but the government is ignoring this. When they banned dance bars, thousands of women lost their means of livelihood and, consequently, their children lost a chance at a better future. The government’s argument that most dance bars are dens for prostitution is false. Most women working with us are given full respect. We ensure not just their safety but that they are not abused by customers. In fact, the ban has pushed many women into prostitution to earn a living. Who in the government will stand up for their plight? The government does not want dance bars to see the light of day, and that’s why they are making setting up of dance bars an expensive proposition. We hope the Supreme Court looks into the sham guidelines and takes the matter into its own hands. The chief minister is not above the apex court. Adarsh Shetty is president, Association of Hotels and Restaurants.
Dance bars a façade for illegal activity: Dance bars are not a necessity of life. Those who want to run a dance bar will find out that it is not going to be an easy ride. If they want to call the guidelines a way to delay the reopening of dance bars, then so be it. In 2005, the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government headed by Vilasrao Deshmukh decided to ban dance bars — a decision that was applauded by all political parties and most sections of society. The decision was taken so as to help families that were suffering due to men frequenting dance bars and spending money on the performers. It was not an impulsive decision, but one that was arrived at after thorough research and thought.
Even the Bharatiya Janata Party supported the move since we knew how destructive and distracting the dance bars in the city were. Now, the Supreme Court has passed an order to lift the ban and reopen dance bars. The reason it has given is that the ban takes away the right to livelihood of performers and that dance is an art. We disagree. There are vested interests that are driving those who appealed to the Supreme Court to lift the ban. It is not a livelihood question; it is about how to spin more money.
Dance bars have been a façade for many illegal activities, which no one is talking about. While the Supreme Court may have taken its stand, how to allow an organisation or a business to function is the domain of the state government. It is the government that is responsible for the day-to-day law and order situation. So we are dealing with this issue with caution. We are drafting a set of guidelines that need to be complied with if a dance bar wants to be set up.
Even if the owners think the guidelines are not feasible or practical, it’s not our responsibility. Our job is not to make their life easy, it is up to them whether they want to run a business in accordance to the rules and regulations of the government. Let’s take the example of somebody who wants to hold a public rally or a public performance. They start with taking permission from the required authority, submitting the necessary documents and following all the necessary laws and rules in place. If it is not possible for them to follow these, they decide not to go ahead with the rally or performance. The same goes for those who want to set up dance bars.
Also, the government has set up a committee to look into drafting the guidelines, as it is the government’s duty to do so before taking a decision. This committee doesn’t need representation from dance bar owners; they have the courts to hear them out. They can present their case to the honourable court which can decide whether our guidelines are feasible or not. Yes, this may delay the reopening process, but so be it. (As told to Nivedita Niranjankumar) Madhav Bhandari is a spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra
