20 December,2010 08:28 AM IST | | Amit Singh and Shashank Shekhar
Authorities say nobody has come forward to procure booze licences so far
If you are planning to enjoy a Christmas or New Year booze party in Noida, think about making other arrangements. Noida district excise department has formed special teams to keep an eye on parties running without licences. The officials will be randomly raiding places in the district and those found without licence might even be prosecuted. The problem, no one seems interested.
The licenses which are generally valid for a single day can be procured at a cost of Rs 3000. Interestingly, till Sunday, not a single person or corporate has applied for this licence. However authorities feel there is nothing to worry about as most of the applications come in between December 20 and 25.
District Excise Officer, Janendra Upadhyaya said, "On special occasions, if someone is willing to throw a party and serve liquor, a special licence, which is valid for just for a single day, needs to be procured. It's still too early to comment on the exact number of applications received but we are expecting about 100 applications this year. Last year there were about 40-50 people who applied for this licence. This licence is valid till midnight. Those found serving liquor without it can be prosecuted."
District Excise department will also be forming four teams. The teams will be headed by an Inspector rank officer and will be conducting random checks at different places. "Every year we come across a number of cases where people party without procuring a license. Either they are not aware of the rules and regulation, or they try to evade paying the government," the officer said.
To check the drink driving menace in the district, especially during New Year and Christmas, the police are also planning to conduct surprise checks. However cops feel that due to lack of resources they might have to over-work during that period.
While Delhi has 4700 traffic policemen, Noida has just 103. Noida Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amitabh Yash said, "Noida has a buzzing nightlife but lags way behind in police manpower when compared to Delhi. But we still keep doing regular checks. We are also in the process of purchasing a few breath analysers, especially keeping in mind the party season. If need be we might even cancel violators' driving licenses."
| Fine drive |
| In this Diwali 175 people were challaned by Delhi traffic police and slapped fines in its drive to curb drink driving during the festival. The traffic police conducted the drive throughout the night. Around 712 people were been booked this year compared to 480 people who were challaned for drink driving last year during Diwali. In Noida the number of pillion riders riding without helmets has also increased sharply. Over 400 challans have been issued for such offenders in October last year. |
