Night owls rejoice as Mumbai will remain open 24x7 starting Jan 27

In what has brought joy to thousands of Mumbaikars, the decision to keep eateries, shops, malls, and so on to remain open 24x7 has finally been approved by the Maharashtra Cabinet. This new policy is known as “Mumbai 24 hours” and will come into effect on the 27th of January. 

State Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray said that this move will help generate more jobs in the service sector. In addition to job creation, this is also expected to boost the economy significantly, similar to London’s “Night Economy” that is worth 5 billion pounds, as was referenced by Thackeray in relation to this announcement.

Thackeray also talked about the setting up of dedicated lanes with food trucks in Bandra Kurla Complex as well as Nariman Point. Food inspectors will reportedly patrol the streets to check for food safety violations. Further, if the vendors don’t adhere to solid waste management rules, sound limits or the law in general, they could be facing a lifetime ban, he added.

गृहमंत्री @AnilDeshmukhNCP जी आणि पर्यावरण, पर्यटन, राजशिष्टाचार मंत्री @AUThackeray यांनी आज मंत्रालय येथे पत्रकार परिषद घेऊन 'मुंबई २४ तास'बद्दल आपली भूमिका स्पष्ट केली.
यावेळी मंत्री आदित्य ठाकरे यांनी खालील मुद्दे मांडले: #Mumbai24x7 pic.twitter.com/CEtpQPQrXy

— ShivSena - शिवसेना (@ShivSena) January 22, 2020

As for the police force and its duties at night time, the Shiv Sena leader added that since their job currently was to look for shops and eateries that are open beyond the permitted time, they can now solely focus on law and order in the city. Phase 1 of this plan will see shops, multiplexes in malls, and mill compounds that will remain open, effectively allowing users to watch movies on the big screen all throughout the day. 

When asked about the opposition BJP’s criticism over this rule, he said that the government is merely fulfilling the aspirations of the people. “The BJP is against the youth, seeing the way they are handling students,” Thackeray added, referring to the recent protests in Delhi over the Central Government’s CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act).

One key point to remember here is that although regular eateries, multiplexes in malls, and even shops will be open, pubs and bars will close as they usually do at 1:30 AM.