Bangalore, it’s time to party. Within a fortnight, you could look forward to a drink or a late-night grub without worrying about the midnight deadline set by the excise and police departments.
The state government is finalising the extension of the deadline by two hours from the present midnight cut-off for star hotels and clubs in the city.
This means star hotels and clubs will remain open till 2am once the decision is finalised, excise minister MP Renukacharya said on Tuesday.
The excise ministry has already given an in-principle nod for the extension of the deadline and is now awaiting the completion of formalities before the extension becomes a reality.
Renukacharya said that the excise ministry has given its in-principle approval. “But we are conveying this to the home department and tourism department officials in the next few days and we will discuss the pros and cons of extending the night life in the city. After that, the issue will be discussed with the chief minister before taking a final call.”
He said the decision is being finalised following pressure from the star hotels in the city who were not happy with the midnight deadline. Besides, the restriction was posing inconveniences to the thousands of employees working in call centres and IT firms, who finish work late in the night and struggle for a quick bite or drink. However, the extension will not apply to the thousands of wine stores and bar and restaurants in Bangalore. The city police have enforced shutting these down by 11.30pm, in some sensitive areas even by 11pm.
Bangalore’s nightlife deadline was restricted to 11.30pm in 2008 by the police with an eye on curtailing night-time crime in the city with a short-staffed law and order force.
It was subsequently extended by 30 minutes to remain open till midnight.
