Mumbai Malls, Cafes to Remain Open 24X7 From January 27, 2020; Maharashtra Cabinet Gives Nod to Proposal

Mumbai, January 22: The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday decided to open malls and eateries for 24 hours in Mumbai from 27 January. Initially, only selected shops will remain open in non-residential areas. However, the eateries and pub which serve liquor have to follow a deadline of 1:30 am. The state cabinet cleared the proposal. According to Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, the proposal was first proposed in 2013. He alleged that after coming to power in 2014, the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis did not act upon the proposal and termed it as "credit war".

“London’s nightlife economy is 5 billion pounds, and we expect similar growth in Mumbai. We have 5 lakh youths employed in the service sector in Mumbai. This proposal may help the number of jobs to double to 10 lakh,” reported Hindustan Times quoting Thackeray as saying. Maharashtra Cabinet to Discuss on Need to Increase Police Force for 24/7 Mumbai Plan: Anil Deshmukh.

As per the report published in the media house, the government has rolled out the 24x7 concession for gated communities such as Bandra Kurla Complex and Nariman Point. The state Tourism Minister was confident that the move will give a boost to tourism and economy and will generate jobs.

According to some reports, the permission has been given to at least 25 malls and several other shops and restaurants across the city who can stay open throughout the night. However, the owners can decide the days on which they can keep their shops open. On January 17, representatives of shopping malls, hotels, restaurants also had a meeting with Thackeray.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 22, 2020 04:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).