Sit-down beer shops a rage in Nagpur

Breaking off from the usual practice of boozing in pubs and bars, city youth have taken to sitting outside shops, which exclusively sell beer, to get their kicks.
The sitting areas are not owned by the shop owners, but owing to their seclusion, they have become fave places for the young drinkers to sit, chill and socialise. TOI tells you more…
'Not a big deal'
With an alcoholic content of four to eight percent, most youngsters do not consider beer as a hard alcoholic beverage.For them, this activity is just another laid-back, everyday outing, where they can meet their friends and chill out. Archit Singh (name changed on request), a 21-year-old engineering student, who frequents such shops, says, "It's not a big deal. We youngsters like to go out and have fun almost every evening. At pubs or bars, beer is served at more than twice the MRP. To us, it makes sense to buy beer from beer shops at the retail price, where there is space for us to sit and enjoy. I always go there with a group of friends. A lot of people my age go there for a beer every evening, and I have made a lot of new friends." When asked about police interference and other problems, he says, "I don't know why they make such an issue about this. It is a light drink; nobody gets drunk on one beer. As far as police interference is concerned, I can't say anything about the other places, but I've never had any encounter with the police at the place, which I frequent."
Responsible drinkers?
When we talked to Prakash Kumar (name changed on request), the owner of one of these beer shops in the city, about the problems he may be facing, due to drunken behaviour of some of his clients, he said: "This isn't a Desi Daaru Ki Dukan that cheap people would come here, get drunk and cause problems. About 50 youngsters come and buy beer from us every evening. The peak time is usually around 7.30-8.00 PM, and this continues till 10 PM. And there hasn't been even a single brawl or any other disturbance, caused due to drunkenness."
'Beer is NOT a mild beverage'
While youngsters argue that beer is a 'mild drink', various other people have taken an opposite stand on the subject. City-based psychologist Dr Geeta Pedgaonkar says, "Beer is not a mild beverage. The alcohol content in beer is pretty high, and what are the chances that the youngsters would stop at just one? Besides, sitting outside the shop on the stairs, and drinking, just isn't acceptable. Even if people are of legal drinking age, they should at least have a proper place to drink, with responsible people around them. Drinking in public places is against the law, and these youngsters might get into serious trouble with police if they continue with this."
Legal consequences
Public places are out of bounds for the consumption of alcohol, and even alcohol permits do not give the drinkers any right to drink in the immediate vicinity of a beer shop. When we asked Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, the Commissioner of State Excise, about this new practice, he said, "It is absolutely illegal. The licensing authority for alcohol is the Collector of the district, and the licence clearly states that the buyers are supposed to only purchase bottled beer from the shop. They are supposed to drink it in the privacy of their homes or at a party. Sitting at unauthorised places and drinking is not only illegal, but also frowned upon. If this comes to the notice of a police official, the licence of the shop will be revoked and/or a fine will be imposed."