Liquor flow to stop before midnight in Chennai

The Tamil Nadu Government has once again issued notices to pubs in Chennai to shut shop by 11 pm. As expected, pub-hoppers and pub-owners are unhappy with the decision.

DJ Michael's day starts in earnest only at 9 every night for that is when the guests start flooding in, and his Chennai pub really gets going. Pubs in Chennai are usually allowed to close at around midnight, despite an official deadline of 11 pm.

But starting Monday, all that might change. The state Prohibition and Excise Department has reinforced the 11 o'clock deadline for pubs - a cutoff Michael says is just too early.

"The deadline affects the attitude people show towards us. Instead of people saying 'hey good show', they say 'one more song would've been nice.' So in a way, we become the wet blanket for them. Apart from that, the sales have dropped because of the early timings," DJ Michael says.

Pub owners, who are looking to renew their licenses, are fearful of speaking up. Government officials too refused to comment on camera, but the Prohibition Department says the new notice is only to ensure that the old law is enforced.

"We meet up with our friends only after 9 or 10. That's the only time we can meet them. Restricting the time to 11 is not a good idea," says a regular pub-crawler Vinod.