No coffee brewing here now

No coffee brewing here now
Deccan Herald

The BMP has decided that cafes were set up in setback areas of commercial buildings, when such spaces should be left alone.

When cafes like Coffee Day and Barista first opened on MG Road, it seemed like it was all that the road needed to make it the most happening place to hang out in the City. Youngsters moved in and set up camp in these cafes which set out to start the ‘coffee shop’ culture in India. This seemed like a great idea, especially in Bangalore, because a lot of youngsters shifted base from pubs making it a positive and healthier change in lifestyle.

All this has now come to an abrupt stop as the BMP has issued warnings and shut down some of these places. The BMP has decided that these cafes were set up in setback areas of commercial buildings, when such spaces should be left alone.

The overnight closure of these cafes has given rise to mixed reactions. Most people are outraged considering these outlets were arguably the most popular in the City.

“This is awful! At these cafes, we could sit for hours together with friends. It was a cool place to hang out,” says Anu, a regular at cafes.

Cafes are also places where businesses brought clients over for media interactions, thanks to their central location.

“The ambience at coffee cafes are brilliant. It used to be really great to sit outdoors in the evening and watch life pass by on MG road,” says Anupam, a student.

“Barista was open till late at night, so we could grab a cup of coffee after a late night concert or a movie before driving back home,” says Ram.

A few, on the other hand, consider this a relief as there will be more parking space on MG Road and few noisy youngsters around.

The curious part is that the BMP’s decision was so sudden. In fact many are unaware of the closure. “How is it that BMP suddenly wake up and do this? How is it that for so many years they never noticed anything about the setback area violation,” questions an infuriated Vidya.

The cafes will now be allowed to operate from within a building premises.

The whole event seems unfortunate as many youngsters are ‘hangout-less’ and people feel they have no place for a quick meeting.

With several lounge bars opening up in the City, this move by the BMP may just lead more youngsters back into pubs.