‘If we’re mature enough to vote, we’re mature enough to drink’

June 20 (TOI) NAGPUR: Bollywood actor Imran Khan recently vowed to file a PIL against the state government’s decision to increase the minimum age for hard liquor consumption to 25 years. Many in the city supported the actor’s stand, but some do endorse the government’s decision.

TOI spoke to many people including students, retired government officials, army personnel and even parents on the issue.

“One is allowed to get a driving licence at 16 and marry at the age of 21. But the age to drink legally has been raised to 25. Shouldn’t the government be looking at raising the age of getting driving licence instead?” a group of youths said.

Some engineering college students agree with Khan’s view. “At 18, if we are good enough to exercise votes - which is proof that we are capable of making an informed decision - then we are good enough to understand the pros and cons of drinking at the age of 21,” they told TOI.

Vinay Kakde, a third year engineering student from a city college, said that increasing the drinking age to 25 seems to indicate that the Maharashtra government, especially R R Patil, has lost its balance. “Banning dance bars is a different matter, but raising the drinking age to 25 is turning the clock back to dark ages,” he said.

Many people argue that the move will be counterproductive as it will encourage bootlegging and underage drinking. “There should have been an opinion poll on such an important issue. It is still not too late to reverse the decision,” said Deepak Nashine, another engineering student.

Another point for argument is the lack of uniformity about drinking age in different states. Young entrepreneur Anup Dave says, “Different states in the country have different laws and the minimum drinking age varies anywhere from 18 to 25. From what I can tell, many states and even districts in the state have banned the consumption of alcohol completely, but still one can easily get liquor there. A case in point are Wardha and Gadchiroli districts,” he said.

Dave also pointed out the lack of oversight about strict implementation of the rule. “No shopkeeper will ask you to produce your age proof when you ask for a drink. Shopkeepers don’t care, and the police are happy to look the other way. Most citizens don’t have any form of valid identification when they go out drinking,” he said.

Behroze, who has a 16-year-old son, termed the decision as ridiculous. “There are other important priorities that government should start taking care of. Kids, barring a few exceptions, do know what is good and bad for them. I support Imran on this,” she said.

Former director general of police PKB Chakraborty feels that raising the drinking age to 25 doesn’t make any big difference. “I personally believe that at 21, a person is mature enough to take a decision. I am not saying that the validity of this ludicrous law has any real-world implications, but it is amusing when you consider the fact that in India, anyone 18 or older can vote,” he said. The government should curtail the age limit from 25 to 21, he added.

Colonel (retired) Shailendra Kumar said such half-baked laws increase the disrespect for legislation in the society. “To make mature adult citizens, drinking age should be reduced and youth should be offered opportunities and the freedom of choice,” he said.

“Drinking is not a crime in the army but getting drunk and behaving irresponsibly directly lands up one in the cell till sober. By the way has the Maharashtra government forgotten an MLA who misbehaved with the air hostess after a drinking on a flight. He wasn’t a youth. Drinking cannot be a crime but getting drunk and behaving irresponsibly should be taken care of,” he added.

It is exactly such kind of irresponsible behaviour that bothers those who support the government’s move. These people say that the increase in drinking age will help reduce alcohol-related accidents and crimes. Said Uma Khode, a mother of two: “In the recent past, alcohol consumption among youths has reached dangerous levels and frequency of drunk-driving accidents has increased among them.” According to her, much fewer people take up drinking after the age of 25 and even those who do, will do it responsibly.

Bharati Kulmethe (name changed), whose husband is an alcoholic, calls for a complete ban on sale of liquor instead the age limit restriction. “I do understand that people working in this industry will lose their jobs and taxes will also be adversely hit. However, the social cost of drinking related problems is too much to ignore. The same goes for tobacco products,” she said.

TIMES VIEW

The three titans of techdom, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, founded Apple, Microsoft and Facebook when they were 20-to-21 years old. Isaac Newton had formulated early versions of the laws of motion by the time he was 23. The annals of history are replete with instances of scientists, artists, poets, politicians, warriors and sportsmen who have made a dramatic and lasting impact on the world while in their early 20s.

In our more mundane, everyday lives, we can vote and drive at 18, and marry at 18 or 21. And yet, in Maharashtra, the government says you can’t drink till you are 25. This paper does not support the cause of drinking-and has been at the forefront of the campaign against drinking and driving. But to say that people are “not mature” till they are 25 is ridiculous. Any law that’s built around this notion is plain stupid, and must go. Off the record, government officials say, “Oh, but we never enforce it.” If it isn’t enforced, then why this farce? By keeping it on the statute books, all it does is lead to harassment and corruption-yesterday, we wrote about how a young, law-abiding gentleman was at a restaurant with his family when a policeman walked in, dragged him away, and put him in overnight lock-up.

This isn’t a debate about liberal vs conservative, nor about moral vs immoral. This is about treating young adults with the respect they deserve. The government must do the right thing and reduce the threshold to 18. If parents feel that’s too low, let them talk to their children. It’s better than letting bribe-seeking policemen harass them.