Bengaluru

Hundreds of people blocked the footpaths on 12th Main in Indiranagar today. Claiming to be victims of the residents’ crackdown on illegal pubs and restaurants, the protestors carried placards saying they should be given jobs as they are unemployed now. The residents counter it by saying that this is a ridiculous way to brush aside the illegalities and nuisances committed by pubs like Monkey Bar. It’s tantamount to saying that lawless businesses have no jobs for people because the law prohibits them.

The silent standing protest lasted for about an hour after which the crowd dissipated. Holding placards saying, “I want my job”, “Wanted: A job”, “Help! I’ve Lost My Job”, and so on, several observers reported that many restaurants appeared to be supporting this move as there were DJs and servers wearing white and holding flowers. A war of words began on Twitter too where some people asked the Indiranagar resident associations to give jobs to those who have lost employment due to their “mafia attitude”. Blaming proactive residents for shutting down restaurants that “stopped blaring music” after protests, the naysayers are questioning the association to stop their ‘holier than thou’ attitude and be more understanding to business concerns.

Reacting to all the controversy, resident Isabel Paul had this to say: “Unplanned and money-minded commercialization in residential areas impacts everyone eventually, and the govt needs to identify a satisfactory solution in collaboration with all the stakeholders.”

I Change Indiranagar Responds

In a tweet to the authorities, the media and the general public, I Change Indiranagar, the proactive federation of all residents welfare associations in Indiranagar, HAL 2nd and 3rd Stage, came out with its reaction to the snap silent protest conducted this afternoon:
1. We are not against any legally-run establishments – pub, bar, brewery or restaurant.
2. We are only interested in ensuring all establishments are operated based on the legal rules and norms laid down by the government authorities, be it building bye laws, fire safety, pollution control, traffic and law and order police, Excise, BBMP health department, BESCOM and BWSSB rules.
3. The core of this is the safety and well-being of residents, who have to bear sound and smoke pollution from generators and vehicles and roof top  establishments blaring music past midnight, which are against Supreme Court established pollution norms.
4. It is also our concern for the safety of the patrons and guests of these establishments, as the owners of these establishments have not taken that into consideration.
5. Parking area in basement is most often misused for commercial purpose and cars parked in front of residents’ gates.
6. Buildings without occupancy certificate cause serious risk to lives of their guests and residents around, especially in case of fire.
7. Many illegal activities such as drugs and prostitution, which are a bane to society, occur in and around these establishments.
8. The security of residents and visitors alike, is seriously being compromised due to the huge influx of people on a given weekend and we as resident’s need our RIGHT TO LIFE restored too. This entire campaign is being made to look like arm-twisting mechanism by the authorities.

EDITORSPEAK

It is clear that the law is violated repeatedly in most cases of commercial enterprises in residential areas. And this is most prominent with pubs, the Monkey Bar being the most recent example as it did not have the mandatory Occupation Certificate, among many more violations. Political connivance, bribery and coercion is evident as many big establishments under the radar were found to be owned by heavyweights in business, politics and entertainment. Clearly, this nexus can only be broken if there is political will. The best example that one BBMP official cited was the removal of flex banners across the city within days after the High Court order. This shows that only the courts can rescue the residents from the commercial ambitions of senseless, greedy and unlawful entrepreneurs. It’s time this commercial breed realises its mistakes and makes amends instead of using youth as pawns in their larger game of commercialising everything in the city and outside. Every trend has its limits, and commercialisation has gone way beyond the saturation point. It’s about time the Supreme Court intervenes and ensures such illegal commercialisation does not happen anywhere in the country.

By law, the residents have every right to oppose any activity if it disturbs them, be it noise, air, or water pollution, or parking congestion and any other inconvenience. In a court of law, such an argument will always win. Therefore, we urge all entrepreneurs to be good Indians and follow the law rather than bribe an official and run their establishments without the relevant permissions. When they go ahead with the violations, and soon, the axe falls on them due to resident activism, they are responsible for rendering their staff without jobs. Not the residents. It’s plain common sense.