This year even farmhouse and bungalow owners holding private, non-commercial dos for friends and family need music, liquor permissions

Police get strict with private parties

This year even farmhouse and bungalow owners holding private, non-commercial dos for friends and family need music, liquor permissions

The strict attitude of the police for New Year's Eve parties is no more restricted to restaurants, resorts and pubs. This year even farmhouse and bungalow owners are finding it difficult to organise non-commercial parties for family and friends.

According to police guidelines, farmhouses will not be allowed to play music or serve liquor unless and until music permissions from the local police station and a liquor permission from the excise duty department are obtained.

In some areas, permissions have either been denied by the local police or applications are still lying on the tables of authorities concerned even as D-Day nears.

Vinayak Magre, who owns a farmhouse at Bhukum around 10 km from Chandni Chowk in the city, wanted to organise a party for his friends but permission for it was denied.

"The police said that because of a murder that happened near our village there would be no permissions given to private parties. There are numerous farmhouses in our village which are owned by well-known faces from the city, but none of them can organise a party this year," Magre said. "We've met the officials concerned but they keep telling us to come back next day, and nothing happens."

The police say that because of lack of safety measures, permissions are not granted for parties in certain areas.

Managing the crowd
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official from the Paud police station said that hotels and restaurants
in rural Pune have security guards to keep things under control if something goes wrong but private
bungalows or farmhouses have no such security arrangements.

"People come, drink and create a nuisance and there is no one to manage them, so permissions are not granted," he said.u00a0u00a0u00a0

Even police officials in Lonavla and Khandala and excise duty officers are keeping a tight tap on the applications coming in. The police said that they were stricter towards parties held in open spaces.

Thorough checks
"We have received more than 70 applications seeking permission for speakers," Senior Police Inspector Balram Lanjile of the Lonavla police station said. "Out of these, we have given permission to 50 and kept some on hold.
We are being very careful while giving permissions. We had made it clear that permissions will not be given to those who are organising parties on someone else's private property, so many people have not approached us."

Deputy Superintendent of State Excise Department R V Nimbalkar said they were going in for thorough checks before granting permissions.

"In the past few days we have received more than 100 applications from rural Pune, mostly bungalow owners," Nimbalkar said. "We are giving permissions, but after checking all the paperwork. We are being vigilant when the parties are held by people at someone else's place or at open spaces."