Drinking in public places increases in Hyderabad due to lack of permit rooms

HYDERABAD: Delay in opening of permit rooms attached to wine shops is adding to nuisance as people are opting to consume liquor in public places. This is despite police booking petty cases against those drinking in open and warning them of stricter action.

Places like Yousufguda check post, Nampally, Alwal, Shamirpet and SR Nagar are just a few among the many "junctions", where people are present in huge numbers at wine shops every day, says Harish Kumar Daga, an activist who has been voicing his concerns on social media.

He said, "I have been noticing these places for the past couple of months now. At any given time in a day, you can easily spot 20–25 people loitering around the wine shops and openly consuming liquor. There is no social distancing or use of masks. With no permit rooms, tipplers are drinking freely in open places around the wine shop, parking lots and by-lanes, causing inconvenience for residents and locals." Daga said government should either allow permit rooms or deploy two constables at each wine shop to maintain order.

Prasanna Jeet, a faculty member and resident of Venkatapuram, said, “Many customers park their vehicles right in front of the wine shop next to the cinema hall, buy liquor and start drinking on their vehicles. Women and families visiting the theatre find it risky to pass through the area during night,” he pointed out.
The nuisance of drinking in open has been going on despite police booking numerous cases. Cyberabad police commissionerate alone has booked about 30,000 cases.

An official said the electronic system of booking cases is working wonders. When booked for the first time, the offender’s details are registered along with his photograph and Aadhaar details. A charge sheet is also created. “In case the person is caught the next time, a jail term is rewarded. Several people have been jailed,” the police official pointed out.

He observed that once this information spreads widely, instances of people drinking in public places would come down.