The Government of Maharashtra on the meeting held on 16 January 2020 has directed that the Shops and Establishments are to be allowed to function 24/7 with the exception of sale of alcohol, to implement `vibrant nightlife’ proposal for Mumbai with the prime intention of promoting tourism. The BMC and Mumbai police chiefs expressed their willingness to allow such establishments to stay open 24X7 without selling alcohol beyond the current cut-off of 1:30 am. The commercial establishments has responded that they would be in a position to operate 24X7 from January 27.
The meeting held on 16th January 2020 was attended by the BMC, Mumbai police chiefs and representatives of malls, hotels and restaurants.
The previous state government had in December 2017 issued a notification to the Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act, 2017, allowing shops, including restaurants that do not serve alcohol, cinema halls, salons, hyper malls and businesses such as banks, medical establishments and tax consultancies, to remain open 24×7 in the state. It did not include liquor shops and bars.
The Commercial establishments have welcomed the move whereas many have demanded clarification regarding status of bars, pubs, malls and eateries.
Source: press release
