The extended nightlife on the weekends in the city, which kicked in on Friday night, may not have driven party goers to the watering holes in hordes, but it seems to have created a buzz around.
A number of pubs and bars in the central business district, Koramangala, Indiranagar and other places functioned till 1 a.m. on Friday, the first day after the new rule extending the deadline came into force.
While the government has extended the deadline to 1 a.m. for closure of all eateries throughout the week, the extended deadline for bars and pubs is only for Friday and Saturday.
“It was a relaxed evening for most of us on Friday night as the extended hour gave us time. Otherwise, most of us indulge in binge drinking since we come to pubs or bars after office hours and rush through our drink before 11.30 p.m.,” said K. Dhanan, a resident of Baiyappanahalli, who partied till 1 a.m. on Friday with his friends at a micro brewery in Indiranagar. While the new rule was welcomed by many with all excitement, he said they did not see a huge crowd on Friday night.
Acknowledging that Friday’s crowd beyond 11 p.m. was not huge, Ashish Kothare, the President of Association of Bar and Restaurant, Pub and Hotels, Bangalore said: “Many people did not know that the extension was being implemented on Friday itself. Customers, who came early sat till 1 a.m.” According to him, though establishments are excited about the new rule, it would be a couple of weeks before they start getting customers after 10 p.m. Most bars and pubs, he said, also have not changed policies since they are waiting to see the demand before bringing in changes.
Meanwhile, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Kamal Pant said more than 1,000 personnel have been deployed in the city, including all DCPs, ACPs and other police personnel along with officers of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), for providing security.
Mr. Pant said there was no law and order problem on Friday night.
