Raising age bar will only make rebels, invite more revenue collections, say parents

NAGPUR: The state government's new drinking age law has upset many youngsters. Parents in the city were against the rule while some supported raising the legal drinking age bar.
As TOI reached out to many, enquiring about the basis of the rule, the outcome and the filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), they offered myriad opinions, but questioned its successful implementation.
They expressed their different takes on the rule and its chances of reducing the rate of violation in the longer run.
Ashfaq Ahmed, a parent, said, "Age bar should be less than 21 years or the present age limit is acceptable. This is enough a matured age to understand the pros and cons of any situation. When the right age for marriage is 21, why should drinking be limited to 25? The rule does not stand to logic at all. By 21 years, a person has completed his graduation and is capable of earning, so he can take his own decisions."
Another parent, Jagdish Sahu, father of a 24-year-old, said, "Time is being wasted on discussing the right age bar. There should be no set standard age for drinking. Law recognizes 18 as the age mature enough for voting, but is it true? Students hardly have knowledge of politics today. Educating should be the aim of law makers, setting an age or benchmark will not help. If the rule is imposed upon youngsters, then more will use it as a 'right to vote'. This is neither an honest way, nor is the law transparent. It will fizzle out as a restriction."
Suhas Khandekar, parent of 21-year-old, said, "Raising the age bar will not work with youngsters. Restrictive practices do not work. Liquor is completely prohibited in Gujarat but still violations to this rule are continuing. If this rule is passed, the government will have more revenue collections as the rule would be like an imposition and people are not going to adhere to it."
Another parent, Devendra Balasaria, said, "I am against any such rule which is meant to extort money from children. There shouldn't be any rule for consumption of hard drinks. What about cigarettes? These packets carry warning signs, but do people consider them? Foreign brands of cigarettes do not carry warnings, only Indian brands do, but still there are people flouting rules. It's just a farce. I support Imran Khan's initiative to file a PIL. People will never follow something that is against their wishes. When students attain 18 years of age, they are inquisitive about all this. Curiosity cannot be controlled by the government; it will only invite more rebels."
Shalini Arora said, "If a person can marry at 21, vote at 18, what is the logic behind raising the drinking age bar to 25? Although, there are ill effects of drinking and it is also a reason behind atrocities faced by women today, but this attempt will not help the government curb crime rate or other such violations in the society. On the other hand, black marketing will be on a rise as liquor would be more in demand. It will only lead to rise in illegal practices. What we need is a strong moral society today, setting an age limit is rubbish."
Deepali Mandlik said, "People can have their opinions at 25. If a specific age bar is set, then children may try arranging other means of liquor consumption. Above 21, no restrictions should be imposed because a person is old enough to understand."
Some parents agreed setting an age bar but still a successful implementation continues to be doubtful.
Shailesh Pandey, parent of a 23-year-old said, "I am in full support of this rule. All these students use alcohol at a very young age but they don't understand the repercussions of it. Moreover, precious time is wasted on booze and other addictions, subsequently leading to loss of academic years. This is a good attempt as raising the age bar would control addiction at an early age."
"One children turn 25, they may be frequently coaxed by their friends to try hard drinks, but we can hardly control peer pressure. I hope the implementation of the age bar is successful on the government's part" she said.
Another parent, Nishi Arora said, "This rule has a positive motive behind it. By 25, a person attains a level of maturity; he can conduct himself and make the right decisions. With 18 being the present age bar, it is not correct and children don't understand the harmful effect of liquor consumption. They do not have the sanity to decide. If this age bar is increased, children would constantly be fearful of breaking law. However, the government is not efficient enough to implement the rule, because we have witnessed failure of many other such laws before."
Priyadarshan Bhusari, parent of a 21-year-old, said, "I support the government's initiative but the implementation will not be possible. The possible outcome is that corruption will increase."