'Mumbai is losing nightclubs, magic'

MUMBAI: A newfound moral zeal among city authorities is messing up nightlife, say citizens.Drinking comes with a deadline, stripping with a neckline.
"All over the world, these activities are not interfered with, although they may not be encouraged," says S.M. Shetty, former president of the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association. "We are plain hypocritical.Some politician will demand in the assembly that such joints be closed down just to prove his moral fibre."
Lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani says that despite its pet claim of law and order problems, the police has failed to establish a connection between crime rate and keeping bars open in the afterhours.
"Bombay is a bustling cosmopolitan centre, it should be allowed to continue like that. People here work hard. They should allowed to enjoy at the end of the day. The police should instead stop bombs from exploding," he says, adding with a chuckle, "Keeping people insomniac without a drink is the biggest problem."
Restaurateur A.D. Singh says police could put age barriers, but bars should be open for adults any time. Also, the Mumbai traffic is alive all night so the police shouldn''t worry about mugging incidents, he says.
"Bars and night joints pay huge tax and generate employment. The authorities should allow us to make healthy profit."He also favours casinos being legalised. "Gambling happens anyway. This way the government can earn revenue and keep gambling overground."
Even H.S. D''Lima, a crusader against noise pollution and encroachment in the city, says there is no problem if people enjoy all night in a bar or club. "Our values and priorities are skewed. A bar doesn''t affect anybody except those who frequent it. The police and authorities only take up issues that satisfy their self-interest."
He says if the government wants revenue, it can charge bars extra for keeping open till late. Police officials have maintained that late night joints attract underworld elements and street nuisance.
Cabarets, they say, upset the Indian moral applecart. Curiously, a Humsafar Trust study done in 2002-2003 on Dahisar dance bars shows that policemen are among the biggest spenders at these joints.