Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has set up a joint committee to monitor pubs, bars and restaurants in Kalyani Nagar, Koregaon Park and Mundhwa. The committee will be led by the DCP (Zone 4) as president and the DCP (Traffic) as vice president, with the ACP (Yerwada division) as secretary. Other members include officials from PMC, the district collector’s office, the Excise Department and a local citizen.
The committee will check if these establishments are staying open beyond allowed hours, have enough parking and are causing traffic congestion, especially on weekends. It will also look into illegal liquor sales at rooftop restaurants and noise from music beyond permitted levels. Kumar has instructed the committee to work with local residents and take strict legal action against violators. An action report must be submitted within 15 days.
Residents Speak
Monica Sharma, a Kalyani Nagar resident, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “We are glad that my team and I have been consistently working on this issue for over three years, and finally, the concerns are moving towards being addressed as all stakeholders are coming together for discussion. We sincerely hope that the residential area will be separated from the commercial zone, as was earlier promised by then Deputy CM Fadnavis in 2024, though unfortunately, the action has been pending till now. We also thank the Police Commissioner for immediately taking this issue into consideration after the Mundhwa case, and for setting a strong example that repeat violators’ licenses will be cancelled without delay, along with ensuring that no new pubs and bars are permitted in residential areas.”
Yasmin Charania, another Kalyani Nagar resident, added, “We welcome the proactive action taken by the Commissioner of Police and his efforts to bring all stakeholders together so that our concerns are addressed. My team and I have been working on this issue for the last three years and welcome this opportunity to directly ask the Excise Department and PMC as to why bar and pub licenses were granted in densely populated residential neighbourhoods. These licenses must be cancelled with immediate effect to restore peace and law and order to our area.”
Rohan Desai, a resident of Koregaon Park, said, “We are hoping the committee designed by the Commissioner of Pune Police will take action sincerely. The illegal activity remains in the Koregaon Park jurisdiction because of the involvement of local police and corporators. For the last few years, we have made multiple complaints. Action was issued by the seniors, but it was not implemented on the ground level. However, now that the committee has been formed, hopefully, the menace will be curbed.”
