The problem does not lie with the man who runs over a family of twenty on Carter Road after a few drinks in the wee hours of the morning. The problem is not with the people who keep such places open late. And the problem definately is not with those who go to such places. What will follow is that the moral police will be out for blood, bars will be forced shut even earlier, places like Marine Drive, Band Stand and Carter Road vacated by sundown, unnecessary harassment of people out in the streets at night so on and so forth.
By calling this a cultural problem, the System is merely skirting the real issue. Shutting bars down early is not a solution. At present most places in Bombay shut by 1-1.30AM and that is so ridiculuous. On any average day, most Mumbaikars reach their houses only by 9-9.30PM. And then to shut everything by 1.30AM, even on a weekend, severely restricts the city's lifestyle.
I recently went for a walk at night on the city one of the most posh promenades. Not just were there people sleeping all over the pavement, they even spilled a good 3-4 feet onto the street. Now whoever's driven, especially at night will agree that it is not easy to watch out for such obstacles, and then cars do run out of control. To transform it into a debate on morals is in itself wrong. The people sleeping on roads and pavements have no business being there. The real villain is the government which does little as it watches the situation worsen year after year.
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