The long wait is finally over. Restaurants in Bangalore will remain open till 1am every day. On Fridays and Saturdays, even bars will remain open till 1am.
Home minister K J George told reporters on Saturday that the new timings for eateries and bars will come into effect on March 8. “We will do this on an experimental basis for three months. The government will review it after three months,” he said.
Asked about city police commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar reservations over extending the timings, George said a panel would be constituted under chief secretary Kaushik Mukherjee to discuss the pros and cons of extending the nightlife hours. When asked for his opinion, Auradkar, who was present at the news conference, said: “I have conveyed to the state government whatever I wanted to convey on the issue.”
The early deadline for restaurants and bars was a dampener for a metro that works 24/7 and attracts a large number of business visitors. The government’s decision will be widely welcomed.
Many corporate houses and industry leaders, including Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Mohandas Pai, had petitioned the government to revive nightlife in the city, which has thousands of professionals working late into the night.
Sources said CM Siddaramaiah held a meeting on February 27 with the home minister and excise minister Satish L Jarkhiholi and finalized the decision. Later, Auradkar said that the government will sanction Rs 5 crore to purchase vehicles for night vigilance and deploy 2,500 additional home guards to man the central business district at night.
Home minister K J George told reporters on Saturday that the new timings for eateries and bars will come into effect on March 8. “We will do this on an experimental basis for three months. The government will review it after three months,” he said.
Asked about city police commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar reservations over extending the timings, George said a panel would be constituted under chief secretary Kaushik Mukherjee to discuss the pros and cons of extending the nightlife hours. When asked for his opinion, Auradkar, who was present at the news conference, said: “I have conveyed to the state government whatever I wanted to convey on the issue.”
The early deadline for restaurants and bars was a dampener for a metro that works 24/7 and attracts a large number of business visitors. The government’s decision will be widely welcomed.
Many corporate houses and industry leaders, including Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Mohandas Pai, had petitioned the government to revive nightlife in the city, which has thousands of professionals working late into the night.
Sources said CM Siddaramaiah held a meeting on February 27 with the home minister and excise minister Satish L Jarkhiholi and finalized the decision. Later, Auradkar said that the government will sanction Rs 5 crore to purchase vehicles for night vigilance and deploy 2,500 additional home guards to man the central business district at night.
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