Exactly a month ago, a 17-year-old boy rammed the Porsche Taycan car he was driving at an alleged speed of 160kmph into a bike at 2.30am in Kalyaninagar, killing two young techies on their way home. In the aftermath, various authorities — from the police to the civic body and state excise department — have cracked down to curb underage drinking and drunk driving cases.
The situation in Kalyaninagar has improved a great deal according to residents, but those living in other areas like Baner, Balewadi, Bavdhan, Vimanagar, Hinjewadi and Dhayari — where eateries and bars abound as well — have a different story to tell. “What happened was unfortunate and it’s great that there is fear of committing offences in the locality where the tragedy took place — but what about the rest of the city? I live in a Peth area and often see rules being broken by motorists. There has been bandobast, but there are ways to avoid these.
People either pay their way out of it or use bylanes to reach their destination without being caught,” said Mayur Kulkarni, a city-based businessman. A week after the incident, TOI had reported that not a single police check post was observed from Bopodi to Kalyaninagar via Bhandarkar Road around midnight. The only nakabandi along this 35km-plus journey was at Koregaon Park.
Multiple citizens had similar experiences to share. A media professional, on the condition of anonymity, said, “I visited a friend’s house in Aundh recently and had to go home t.