HYDERABAD: City pubs may shortly see women serving alcohol. At present, the pubs employ women as bartenders and stewards. The department is now mulling issuing a new circular on employing women servers in pubs. A number of pubs in cities like Bangalore and Mumbai have seen their business increase after employing women.

“The image of Hyderabad as a liberal city has taken a beating in the wake of misleading reports on restrictions imposed on ‘ladies’ nights’. In fact, the department has a progressive outlook. We want to encourage the pub and bar owners to hire more women bartenders and stewards since it is permitted under the existing law, as well as start employing women as servers as well. Lady servers are allowed in cities like Bangalore and Mumbai. We are also thinking on those lines,” said MAA Farooqui, prohibition and excise deputy commissioner, Hyderabad.

As per the existing rules, women are barred from serving liquor on the table but they can be employed as bartenders and stewards. To allow them to work as servers, rules have to be amended which the excise department is actively considering.

At present, excise department issues an annually renewable ‘naukarnaama’, a licence for male pub or bar workers. Female bartenders and stewards have to procure a special ‘naukarnaama’ which has an annual fee of Rs 1,000. If the rules are amended, the normal ‘naukarnaama’ could be extended to women servers too. Few of the over-15 high-end pubs in the city hire women bartenders for special occasions.

Pub owners welcomed the idea of being able to hire women servers. “It’s a welcome move. Women bar servers help in creating a congenial atmosphere for women customers and it solves many issues automatically. I urge the government to expedite the process of amending the rules,” said Rajesh Chopra, general manager of Firangi Paani.

He said while other pubs hire women bartenders for special occasions, it has not been that easy for them to find women bartenders and stewards. “In Hyderabad, the pub culture is yet to pick up. If we want to hire women bartenders for special occasions, we need to look towards Mumbai or Bangalore. However, if rules are amended in the city, we can look forward to seeing professional women bartenders from the city itself ,” said Chopra.