28 June,2011 07:22 AM IST | | Amit Singh
Local administration asks clubs not to serve liquor to members near pools to avoid mishaps
Perhaps to avoid that sinking feeling, Greater Noida administration is taking no chances with drunken dives and partying near swimming pools in an inebriated condition. As the pool party season reaches its peak, the township's city magistrate is in the process of issuing a notice soon to all recreation clubs in the area, prohibiting serving of liquor by the poolside.
Representative pic
The administration feels it could be a dangerous indulgence, as most pools do not have lifeguards and other life saving equipment necessary to handle an emergency that could arise out of post-alcohol revelry. City magistrate of Greater Noida, Sanjay Chouhan said, "In the past there have been incidents where people have died by drowning after consuming liquor. In Greater Noida there are many clubs which serve liquor near pools. People enjoy their drink as well as swim. But generally the club serving liquor aren't well-equipped to help in case of contingencies."
List to notice
"So we are making a list of all clubs in the area with a poolside bar and holding a valid liquor license. Once the list is prepared, we will be serving them notice which will prohibit them from doing so henceforth. The liquor licence issued by the excise department only entitles the club to serve liquor in their bars," added Chouhan.
Once the notice is served, clubs will have to file an affidavit to the magistrate stating that they would not be serving liquor on the poolside. In spite of that if any club is found violating the rules, action will be taken, which may lead to cancellation of their bar licence. In the affidavit, clubs also need to provide details of the owner, manger and lifeguards of the pool, size and depth of the pool among other things.
Business loss
However, club owners are not happy with the move. Owner of Fortland club, Prakash Khanna, located near Pari Chowk said that the move will affect their business adversely. "Especially during summer seasons, poolside party is generally in huge demand. However with such a diktat, we will lose our customers and business. The administration must come up with alternate checks instead of stopping this trend altogether."
"We have all the systems in place but still we will have to face the brunt. The administration must do random checks to control this instead of forcing us to stop serving liquor poolside. They must also levy hefty fines on whosoever is found guilty," said a senior employee of Funtimes Club, located at Alpha 2, on the condition of anonymity.
In deep water
>>u00a0Last week, two Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) cadets Naresh Bansal, 22, and Gautam Mishra, 23, drowned in the college swimming pool on June 18-19 midnight. Anurag Gupta, a friend of the two cadets, gave a statement to police that they had consumed alcohol before entering the pool. AFMC authorities stated the cause of death as 'asphyxia due to antemortem drowning' (inability to breathe due to water entering lungs).
>>u00a0In June this year, a four-year-old girl drowned in a swimming pool at an amusement park in southwest Delhi. n In another incident in June last year, a 13-year-old girl died after drowning in a swimming pool in the old JNU campus. The deceased, Amrita Singh, a resident of Vasant Kunj, was learning swimming for the past three months at the sport complex.
