As cops get strict, year-end parties move out of city

The police bandobast and checking for alcohol during year-end celebrations as well as the curb on celebration post 12.30 am in the city has had an unintended effect on parties in Ahmedabad.

The number of year-end bashes being held has come down if party organisers are to be believed. They blame the police's over enthusiasm in curbing alcohol flow as well as their insistence that the party be wrapped up after 12.30am as some of the main reason for the dip in number of bashes being held.

They said that as a result most of the bashes have moved to safer locations like Udaipur, Goa or even Diu.

Viresh Shetty, an event planner who has been in the business for over nine years now said over the last many years the number of parties being held in Ahmedabad has gone down. "It has been a trend for sometime. It began after the cops became strict in implementing the deadlines," said Shetty. He said most of the happening parties are now being organised in Pune, Goa and Mumbai with many of the patrons being Amdavadis.

"Over the years, the street parties and celebrations have also come down because the authorities have become strict as far as deadlines are concerned," said Shetty.

Another organiser who did not wish to be named said the cops also harass those who consume alcohol. "Then there is the problem of playing loud music after 12. Interestingly, no one complains if there is a bhajan sandhya but everyone has a complaint if it is a new year party," said the organiser.

He said Ahmedabad had in fact had a good farmhouse party scene. "In other cities where alcohol is allowed, clubs are where the trendiest parties were held. In Ahmedabad, farmhouses held the trendiest parties. But as cops continued to harass the farmhouse owners for holding parties, it began to dwindle," said the organiser.

He said now most prefer to party out of the state to avoid harassment. "Implementation of prohibition is not the issue, harassment in the name of prohibition is the issue," he said.

Raj Darji, the founder of The Organiser, an event management company said earlier a number of parties used to be held in Ahmedabad on December 31. "There was practically a proliferation of it. But over the years the number has come down substantially but the quality of parties has improved. So what we have lost in quantity we have gained in quality. A number of these parties have good music and DJs," said Darji.