Gurugram Police registers 2K cases of open drinking
Gurugram: After receiving several complaints of drunken brawls and nuisance created by those consuming alcohol in open areas, police have launched a drive to tackle the menace on city roads and other open areas. In the last six months, around 2,000 cases were registered by the police. However, despite frequent police crackdowns, drunken brawls have become common in the city, according to residents. The areas that are frequented by those drinking in public areas include MG Road, Sector 29, DLF-2, Galleria market, Sector 56 market, Palam Vihar, Sushant Lok, Golf Course Road and Southern Peripheral Road (SPR).
Police said they have been receiving several complaints from residents about nuisance by people who drink in open areas. Around 260 cases were registered in this month under the Excise Act. "Police are acting against such people and every day some cases are registered," said Boken, adding most cases are registered at Sadar police station. The trend is blamed on the increasing number of liquor shops in the city.
"There is a wine and beer shop just outside our office complex. Most of the people come here with their friends, park their vehicles in the wrong places and start consuming alcohol in the vehicle. They play loud music and create a ruckus. There is also a metro station close by and most of the women also travel through this area in the night. Imagine the kind of insecurity which these women face daily," said Kanika Rawat who works for a multinational company in Global Business Park.
In February 2017 the Haryana government had brought a law of not allowing open drinking in public areas. Besides taking punitive action on the people who drink at the public places, the Haryana Government will also act against people who consume alcohol in their vehicles. According to city residents, the move if implemented well can prove to be useful in reducing incidents of accidents, rash driving and crimes in the city. Most of the residents in the city also highlighted how a lack of action by the Government in the past has resulted in mushrooming of a large number of unlicensed wine and beer shops in the city. Most of these shops in the recent past have come up around the residential colonies.
