BMC says it has no major role in 'Mumbai 24'

The civic body will hardly be a party to the nightlife plan as the excise department and city police will have major role in maintaining the law and order. The establishments planning to be a part of this initiative will not need any additional permission from BMC to remain open 24x7.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will only be responsible for checking whether the employers at these places are providing transport to the women staff who would be working late. The civic officials said there will also be visits to these establishments to check the security arrangement.

Low footfall concerns
However, the restaurant associations claim they are not ready for the shift as there are only three days to implement the plan. They plan to observe the footfall, mostly on weekends, before starting operations throughout the night, while others want to wait and watch before making a final move.

So far only a few establishments, including Atria, Phoenix in Worli, Phoenix Mall in Kurla, R-City Mall in Ghatkopar, Oberori Mall in Goregaon and restaurants inside Kamala Mills, have come forward to try the 'Mumbai 24' plan.

Shivanand Shetty, President of AHAR, said, "The owners of malls will take a call after discussing it with the stores operating inside. And this will not be implemented by standalone restaurants. Everyone is currently studying the establishment costs and also trying to understand footfall during weekdays as few people visit throughout the night."
However, sources revealed that multiplexes will run through the night.

'Retailers won't change time'
Viren Shah, President of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association, said, "The standalone retailers will not be changing their timings and even the retail stores inside malls are unlikely to stay open through the night. At the most, they will remain open for a few hours more. But this will be beneficial during festival time when we can keep stores open till late."

Yuva Sena chief and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray had first mooted the idea in 2013 and was finally able to get an approval on Wednesday. The plan to allow restaurants, cafes and shops inside malls and gated communities will start on a pilot basis from January 27.

Jan 27
Day the pilot of the nightlife plan will begin

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