Approved! Malls, multiplexes & restaurants in Mumbai can remain open 24/7 from Jan 27
Gated communities with entertainment & food plazas having adequate security arrangements can remain open 24/7 from January 27, BMC chief Praveen Pardeshi said
A month after getting an in-principle nod from the Chief Minister, BMC and Mumbai Police have agreed to allow malls, multiplexes, restaurants, and select shops in the city to remain open 24/7 from January 27.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai Police have agreed to permit establishments inside ‘gated communities’ and non-residential areas to remain open through the night.
Gated communities typically refer to places that have adequate parking facilities, security arrangements, CCTV surveillance, noise regulation, etc.
The decision to allow 24/7 operations was taken on Thursday during a meeting with Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray.
The meeting was attended by municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi, police chief Sanjay Barve and representatives from various malls, restaurants, and hotels.
“We have given permission for 24×7 functioning from January 27. Gated communities, primarily with entertainment and food plazas, have been given permissions. We have cautioned the representatives of the establishments to ensure fire-safety compliance and security. Most of the malls have said that they will keep it open on weekends if running it throughout the week is not feasible for them,” Pardeshi was quoted as saying by the daily.
The men driving Mumbai 24/7 I am confident that Mumbai will be transformed into tourism powerhouse under the leadership of the young yet visionary @AUThackeray pic.twitter.com/dUJwqUYQ4i
— Riyaaz Amlani (@RiyaazAmlani) January 16, 2020
At least 25 malls, several shops, and restaurants are eligible to operate 24/7. Moreover, businesses can decide if they want to remain open all night or whether they want to limit round-the-clock operations to certain days (like weekends).
Atria Mall (Worli), R-City Mall (Ghatkopar), Oberoi Mall (Goregaon), Growel’s 101 (Kandivli), Phoenix Market City (Kurla) and High Street Phoenix (Lower Parel) are some of the malls that have reportedly agreed to start 24/7 operations soon.
However, no restaurant or establishment involved in selling alcohol will be allowed to remain open 24/7. For such businesses, the 1:30 am deadline per the existing rules will be applicable.
Despite the need for stricter compliance and enforcement, officials feel that the move will be easier to implement as businesses are bound to self-regulate instead of running the risk of having the plan pulled back.
The proposal to allow restaurants and shops to remain open 24 hours was first mooted by Shiv Sena in 2013. However, it was put on the back burner after it faced opposition from several quarters.
Later, in January 2018, the state government issued a notification amending the Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act, allowing shops, malls, restaurants that do not serve alcohol to operate all night.
Even then, the plan never saw the light of day as police raised security concerns.
Finally, in December 2019, after the Uddhav Thackeray-led government came to power in the state, both BMC and Police chiefs met to discuss the finer points. Shortly after, they met and briefed CM Thackeray, who supposedly gave an in-principle nod to the move.
