A five-day ban on the sale of liquor is coming up in the first week of June. The dry days are: June 1 to 4, and June 6.
Restaurant and pub owners have filed a petition with the High Court seeking a partial revocation of the ban.
“We’re asking for the ban to be lifted on the weekends, and also for sale to be allowed after 6 pm on vote counting days,” says Chethan Hegde, Bengaluru chapter head of the National Restaurant Association of India.
Restaurants and bars in the city are concerned that approximately 20% of their business will be affected.
Doff Pub and Cafe, known for its sports screenings, will remain shut on the first few days of the ICC T20 tournament. “These are crucial days. Even if India is not playing, people do come in to watch the matches. Shutting shop on the weekend will be a major loss,” says Vishwa, manager.
Prince, the manager of The Scottish Pub on St Marks Road, hopes to balance out the loss by the end of June. “As we were aware of the liquor ban in advance, we didn’t plan any events. So that’s a good thing. Hopefully, the rest of the month will be better,” he shares.
“The first weekend of every month brings in a lot of business. Taking that away to accommodate an election where very few citizens are participating is unfair,” Chethan tells Metrolife, referring to the dry days beginning June 1, a Saturday.
Clueless citizens
Legislative Council elections are due on June 3. Six members will be elected to the Legislative Council from as many constituencies. While only graduates are allowed to vote in graduates constituencies, teachers can vote in teachers constituencies.
Many young Bengalureans are unaware of the graduates’ constituency elections.
Rhea J, a marketing consultant, was all set to ring in her 25th birthday celebrations on June 2 when she learned about the dry days.
“I called the restaurant to make a reservation and was told they would be closed. I wasn’t aware another election was taking place in Bengaluru,” she says.
Rhea is also upset she won’t be able to vote. “Turns out the registration closed long ago. None of my friends and siblings knew about it, so no one registered,” she says.
Some believe the MLC elections were overshadowed by the Lok Sabha elections. “I didn’t see anyone campaigning for this election. I don’t even know who the candidates are. All I see on the news is the Revanna case. I only learned about the elections because
of the dry day announcement,” Noel, 27, says.
Mohammed Shahbaz, 34, was aware of the elections. “I got to know about them through an awareness campaign at the mosque. But I couldn’t get my documents together in time,” says the Pulikeshi Nagar resident.
No alcohol on these days...
June 1 to 3
Legislative Council elections on June 3. No liquor sale from 4 pm on June 1 to 4 pm on June 3.
June 4
Lok Sabha elections counting day. No liquor sale for 24 hours starting from the midnight of June 3.
June 6
Counting of votes polled in the Legislative Council elections in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka. No liquor sale from 6 am to 12 am. The restrictions apply to liquor stores, bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels and all establishments serving alcohol.