Bengaluru hoteliers petition new govt for permission to stay open 24/7

In a bid to boost business and serve more customers, the Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association (BBHA) has petitioned the new government and the Bengaluru police to allow hotels and eateries to run operations around the clock.

P C Rao, president, BBHA, noted that the association had been making this plea for over a year now. "A city like Bengaluru needs to have restaurants and eateries open 24/7 at least in commercial areas like Malleswaram, Indiranagar and Hebbal without disturbing residential areas," he told DH.

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He noted that while the central and state governments have allowed retailers to operate through the night, the city's police have cited reasons such as a lack of personnel to disallow restaurants to run past 1 am. "We are now once again pushing for it with the new government and are hopeful that they and the police will accept our request. If we don’t receive permission within 30 days, we are willing to challenge it legally," he said.

Rao highlighted how this move would boost business, create more employment and bring in additional revenue to hotels whilst also serving customers' needs, especially those that work or travel through the night. "If restaurants and hotels are allowed to be open through the night, it might also bring down goondaism in the city," he added.

While some restaurants welcomed the idea, many were sceptical about the benefits.

"It is a good idea to allow restaurants to stay open 24/7 but it depends on customers," said Raju, the manager of a cafe on MG Road.

Another restaurant in the area noted that the permission would be useless for them. "Keeping our restaurant open through the night might be a waste of resources because we don't see that kind of crowd late at night," said the manager.

Santosh Shetty, the owner of Udupi Park Inn, Hebbal, firmly opposed the idea. "This is a foolish idea as there is no need for it outside bus stations and hospitals. Even if the state government approves the plea, we will not follow it," he stated.