The Ban on Dance Bars: A 24,000 crore Loss to Mumbai in 8 Yrs

Bangalore: Eight years after dance bars were banned, they can again run in Maharashtra with the Supreme Court upholding a Bombay high court verdict quashing the state government's order.

On August 14, 2005, licences of 1,250 dance bars across Mumbai were banned on the basis that it was bad influence on society and encouraged prostitution. Numerous bars have shut down ever since, reported Srinath Rao and Mayura Janwalkar for The Indian Express. While it was argued whether such dance bars were presenting the right picture to the society, the dismal picture was also the one where 50,000 to 60,000 women lost their jobs, and so did 40,000 men.

Dance bars provided many women their bread and butter and since the ban many bar dancers had committed suicide, as per police records. Anil Gaikwad, legal adviser for Indian Hotel and Restaurant Owners' Association said 40 percent women were even pushed into prostitution.

Bars renewed themselves as restaurants or orchestra bars, while a few shut down. It further resulted in the government losing revenue. Gaikwad added that "For eight years in a row, the state lost an annual Rs 3,000 crore that it had earned from dance bars," as reported by The Indian Express.

Also Read: Young Indians Turn to Plastic Surgery for Perfect Facebook Profile Picture
Also Read: 5 International Drug Lords of All Time