Come January 26, Mumbai will literally live up to its reputation of being ‘a city that never sleeps’, when the Maharashtra Government begins to implement on an experimental basis its much-discussed proposal of keeping keep all restaurants, malls, multiplexes and shopping plazas open for 24 hours.
Five years after he mooted for the first time his “Vibrant Mumbai Nightlife” proposal, then Yuv Sena leader and now Maharashtra’s Tourism and Environment Aditya Thackeray — at meeting of top Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and police held that he presided over on Thursday night — has given a go-ahead for the ‘24x7 Maximum city’ proposal.
As per the decision taken by the State Government, all restaurants, malls, multiplexes and shopping plazas falling within-gated gate-communities, non-residential zones with security, CCTVs and parking areas in the maximum city can remain open round-the-clock from January 26 onwards.
Thursday’s meeting, where the crucial decision was taken, was attended among others by Aditya, Municipal Commissioner Pravin Pardeshi and Sanjay Barve.
Currently, the restaurants and bars close down at 1.30 am. However, once Aditya’s proposal gets implemented, these establishments will remain through the night – provided these establishments are not in designated residential areas. The 1.30 am closure deadline for bars and restaurants has been in force since 1992-93.
It may be recalled on February 17, 2015, Aditya had met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and submitted a formal letter requesting the latter to put in place the laws that make Mumbai a “live 24/7” city. His meeting with Fadnavis had come after the Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) adopted a resolution seeking “Vibrant Nightlife” for Mumbai and sent off a proposal to the Maharashtra government suggesting necessary amendments to relevant laws.
Known for pursuing his pet projects, Aditya had pushed the proposed once again in the run-up days to January 1, 2019. In a letter written on December 27,2018, Aditya had reminded then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis about a request he had made three years earlier to put in place the laws which make Mumbai a “live 24/7” city.
Aditya had requested Fadnavis to allow Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune and other cities “that wish to celebrate New Year” to remain open all night “for legal activities of entertainment and celebration, especially in non-residential areas”.
“I take this opportunity to drop a small reminder of the proposal of the BMC, first passed in 2013, then approved by the Commissioner and now legislated on by the state in 2017, to let non-residential areas in Mumbai and other cities to remain open 24/7. The proposal for Mumbai is awaiting your approval from the Home department for a few months now and is fool-proof”.
Reiterating the stand that he had taken three years ago, Aditya wrote in his letter sent to the chief minister December 27, 2018: “The move would give our State more employment and revenue from safe and legal places. What is legal during the day cannot be illegal at night. Legal establishments in malls and mill compounds will be a boon for Maharashtra. We need to trust our citizens and give them more space and time to unwind after hours of work”.