The backdoor entry in the dead of night to biryani joints in Hyderabad will soon be a thing of the past, as the Union Cabinet has given its assent to Shops and Establishments Act on Wednesday. Once the Act becomes the law, it will pave the way for cinema halls, restaurants, shops, banks and similar workplaces to stay open 24/7. The Act proposes a model for the States to follow.
The midnight siren of police vehicles has always been a cause of friction between restaurant owners, officials, and patrons in the city.
While restaurants in the old city, Mehdipatnam, Gachibowli, Madhapur, and other areas manage to do business through the night, they have to do it on the sly.
“We are all for the new law. When we started the food cart in Madhapur, it was aimed at people from the IT sector who finish their work late. Though we are allowed to stay open till 1 a.m., the harassment begins at 12.30 a.m. We would like to stay open till 2 a.m., when a bulk of IT employees finish their night shift and come here to grab a bite,” says Samrat Sarkar, a former techie, who now runs a food truck in the IT corridor.
The change in the law may have a far reaching impact on Hyderabad’s economy. The one month in which restaurants are allowed to stay open through the night during Ramzan, the business spurts multiple times and all of it is not linked to haleem.
Food cart vendors selling dosas or bread and omelette combos near Moazzam Jahi Market, Char Kaman do brisk business, but they also have to do it on the sly.
“We never close. We are open all through the night. We pull the curtain down at 1 a.m. and stop people from entering or exiting whenever there is a patrol vehicle close by. If they bring in the new law, we will be able to do business openly without any hindrance,” said a cashier of popular restaurant in Mehdipatnam.
“We believe that it will be a good move to have eateries open 24/7 as with the current work culture, people are not always bound to the 9-6 work hours,” said Varshini and Jay, a working couple at Deloitte.
