Cure worse than the disease, oppn tear into 10pm cap

Pune: Opposition parties on Tuesday dubbed the Pune police’s 10pm closing deadline for restaurants anti-people, saying the move did not address the city’s rising crime.

The Pune Police recently issued prohibitory orders enforcing a 14-day ban on public gatherings. Alongside this, multiple restaurant owners and operators of smaller food outlets claimed they were being compelled to shut their businesses by 10pm.

Baramati MP and NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule questioned the rationale behind the restrictions, arguing that the police had failed to curb crime effectively. “Incidents involving the ‘koyta gang’ continue, and firing cases have become increasingly common. When the law-and-order situation is deteriorating, what are the police trying to achieve by restricting small businesses?” she asked.

Sule said the measures were counterproductive. “The police commissioner calls this a prohibitory order, but what exactly is being prohibited? These steps seem like a cure worse than the disease,” she said.

Congress members also voiced sharp opposition, accusing authorities of using restrictions to stifle dissent. Newly appointed Pune Congress president Prashant Jagtap alleged that the orders were aimed at preventing protest rallies. “Govt does not want the opposition to raise issues affecting the public and is using the police to suppress our voice. We will continue to speak up,” he said.

Jagtap said while the police had been ineffective against criminal elements, they were acting aggressively against small businesses. “At a time when inflation is already burdening citizens, such actions are worsening the problems of small traders instead of providing them relief,” he said.