The Chandigarh administration appears to be sweating over rising skirt cukture at city nightclubs, ruling that “scantily dressed women” or any “indecency” could shut them down.
Places like clubs and pubs where you are deemed to see “indecent clothing” used to remain open till 2 a.m on weekends and till 1 a.m on weekdays but all that has changed following the implementation of the “Controlling of Places of Public Amusement-2016,” policy from April 1. The administration has even formed two committees – nodal and monitoring – to execute its policy. The decision came in the wake of growing cases of lawlessness at disco’s – the last major incident was miscreants firing shots outside a nightclub in Sector 8, Chandigarh in June last year. it also gives unprecedented powers to the babus over bar owners and makes running of disco’s an uphill task. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had asked the administration to come up with a policy as regulation was lacking at such places. Club owners and restaurateurs are now complaining about the low footfalls of the crowd. Chandigarh’s dream to have 24×7 life like other metropolitan cities seems to remain a dream only.
In its policy “Controlling of Places of Public Amusement, 2016,” which many have termed absurd and ridiculous, the administration has made all provisions for throttling city’s nightlife in the name of regulation, citing indecency and sedition as top reasons. Bureaucrats seem to find city bars and nightclubs a breeding ground for anti-national elements too.
According to the policy, a nodal committee with deputy commissioner as chairman and municipal corporation (MC) commissioner, Chandigarh police SSP, director, health services and excise and taxation commissioner as members, have the power to refuse renewal of permission for business operation.
Referring to the running of bars and nightclubs, the policy states the permission can be denied by the committee in case of “exhibition or advertisement of scantily dressed women” and “indecency” or if it is “seditious and likely to excite political discontent.” The policy draft, however, does not define “scantily dressed women” or “indecency” and also doesn’t elaborate on sedition. City hoteliers and restaurant owners have also questioned the provision of sedition, saying till date not even a single instance of such a nature has been heard from any bar or restaurant of the city. The Punjab and Haryana high court had ordered the UT administration to frame a policy for regulating the operations of city bars and restaurants after a number of violent incidents had taken place outside nightclubs.
As per the policy, UT’s nodal committee can revoke permission for running business if it is considered:
#1 To be indecent or of a scurrilous character
#2 To be seditious or likely to excite political discontent
#3 Any exhibition or advertisement of scantily dressed women
#4 To contain offensive reference to personalities
#5 To promote hostile feelings between different classes
#6 To be calculated to cause a breach of peace
