SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Jan 28: The bike parking areas and gali-kuchas behind shopping complexes in the city have become hubs for underage smoking and drinking as youths gather daily to ‘smoke or smoke-up or even drink a peg’ in the evening.
These areas include parking spots around Church Complex, Roshpa Tower in Main Road; Samridhi Square and Shahjananad Chowk shopping area near the Harmu Bypass; Pantaloons near Dangra Toli, bike parking around Nucleus Mall; Galaxy Mall in Ratu Road among others.
Students usually get out of coaching classes in the evenings to score cigarettes and even booze from shops. These students, instead of taking the contraband back to their places, chose to use them in public places. Some of these children, when questioned, either run away and return when no one is around; or chose to reason with others stating why what they are doing is ok.
Several of these students, when questioned over this said, “We smoke because we can. No one can stop us. We are locals and have been coming here before this complex was even constructed.” When asked to leave, these students, who are rarely even 18+ often choose to reply in abusive language, even while running away.
On the other hand, guards stationed at such areas are often busy getting cars and bikes to park right instead of monitoring the students. When asked, one such guard at a shopping complex in the city on the condition of not being named said, “What can we do, when these boys don’t listen to educated elders or even their parents. If we complain, we may even loose our jobs or be attacked by such boys.”
Similar reactions were also given by traffic officials and police officers posted near such campuses. One of these officers said, “It is not our responsibility but the responsibility of either the guard or the owner of the shopping complex.”
When inquired from cigarette shop owners in main road as to why they sell to underage children, they said, “We don’t sell to children in school uniforms, but we can also not ask them to show us their ID cards if they come to us dressed in regular clothes.”
Meanwhile, the regular people in the said shopping complexes are often disturbed because of the nuisance and ruckus created by such children. One of the shopkeepers in Church Complex said, “They often come on bikes, are loud, smoke and sometimes even comment on female shoppers in the evening.”
However, when asked about action against such children, the shopkeeper said, “I don’t want any trouble.”
