The police had directed them to stop playing music and performance by live bands

A month after getting notices from the city police for playing music and hosting live bands without the required documents, very few establishments in Indiranagar have got the licence so far from the police department.

While the notice directed the establishments to stop performance by live bands and playing music, residents alleged that loud music continues to spill out of pubs and bars which were served notices.

Questioning why these establishments were not being shut down despite running illegally, residents said they are forced to spend sleepless night as these establishments played music late into the night. “The Supreme Court order of January this year had empowered the police to act against these establishments. It has been a month since notices were served. If any establishment has failed to apply for the licence, the police should have shut it down for running illegally,” said Raj Kumar Pillai, member of I Change Indiranagar, adding that most of the pubs didn't have the required documents to prove they are legal entities.

Residents alleged that many establishments are in residential plots and violate building bye-law. “How can these establishments produce valid documents? The right thing for the police to do would be to close them down,” they said.

However, a senior police official said, unless an application for licence is rejected by the police commissioner's office, no action can be initiated. “There is no ban on playing music. The process of giving licence to these establishments is on. It is a long process and a lot of documents are required, and it will take time. The documents need to be verified and a survey conducted before a licence is given.”

In the second week of July, 30 pubs in Indiranagar were served notices by Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar as per the Licencing and Controlling of Places of Public Entertainment (Bangalore City) Order 2005.

According to the notice, the owners of the pubs needed to submit the BBMP’s plan sanction for the building, Occupancy Certificate (OC), No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Fire and Emergency Services and Electrical Inspectorate for a permit. The commissioner had said he would issue permits as per the 2005 order if the pubs applied for the same with adequate documents.

Mr. Suneel Kumar told The Hindu, “Not many establishments have applied for the licence. But, those which have applied can continue to play music till the application is processed. If rejected, they would have to immediately stop playing music or performances by live bands.”

However, no time frame has been fixed by the police for the establishments to apply for a licence.

Vinoo Thimmaya, a resident of Indiranagar, said, “The police should implement the 2005 rule in letter and spirit. For granting licence, the establishments are required not only to produce documents, but follow certain safety norms, such as limiting seating capacity according to the space available. Also, the police should have given a limited time frame for the establishments to apply for a licence, failing which they should have taken action.”

Stating that it was absurd to apply the 2005 order, which was meant to control the mushrooming of dance bars in the city, on all establishments playing recorded music, Collin Timms, director of Pecos, said, “We neither have dancing or live music. It was a shock to us when we got the notice. Though we applied for a clarification, we have not got any reply from the police.”