Perhaps the `don’t drink and drive’ campaign the Pune police, several NGOs and ca ring individuals spiritedly persisted with paid off. Outings to restaurants and bars on New Year’s Eve was tepid, and an almost 20% to 30% drop in footfalls from last year’s was perceptible.
Sandy Singh, partner, Eu riska, Prems and Swig, quo ted a 20% drop in footfalls and liquor consumption. “String ent checks by the police which is positive, caused ma ny to have house parties. Al so, traffic problems during such nights along with rowdy crowds made partying at ho me more preferable,“ he ad ded.
A lounge manager in Ko regaon Park said business and footfalls had dipped by 10% on December 31, 2015.“The anti-drink and drive campaign had many people tread with caution on December 31. Almost 30% of our clients opted to come by taxis or get their drivers along. A drop in clientele was also because many new lounges in the city opened last year, which means the party crowd went all over the city,“ he said. Even liquor retailers noticed a 10% drop in business this New Year’s Eve in comparison to last year. “We noticed that people were not too eup horic about consuming alcohol this time, partly because the second last long weekend in 2015 had many in the city splurge on travel,“ said an owner.
For once, it was not so much the fear of police on the roads that deterred people from partying, but the fact that New Year’s Eve coincided with a Thursday , when many abstain from non-vegetarian food and alcohol.
The wedding season and long weekends in December, which already had many bingeing and splurging before New Year’s Eve, made them party at home, many sources.
Ganesh Shetty , president of Pune Restaurants’ and Hoteliers’ Association, told TOI that most restaurants across Pune witnessed a 30% to 35% dip in footfalls and almost 20% drop in liquor consumption on New Year’s Eve.
Kunal Mhaske, director of Penthouse Lounge in Koregaon Park, quoted a 20% drop in liquor consumption this time in comparison to last year.“Footfalls too dipped by 30% this time. A lot of people this New Year’s Eve were travelling or celebrating outside Pune. Weddings and marriage functions were the high point of December 2015, with `sangeet’ and cocktail parties in various parts of the city .Many therefore opted not to go out during New Year’s Eve as they had already had quite a few grand outings in the month,“ said Mhaske.
“People had spent so much on travel during the long weekend that spending more on the eve seemed impractical. In addition, an increase in the prices of alcohol may also have been a deterrent,“ said a top source among liquor retailers.
