Restaurants and shops to stay open 24/7 in Hyderabad

State government modifies opening and closing hour rules.

Boost to nightlife: This comes as great news for those whose daytime regimen does not allow them to savour the city and all that it has to offer. (Photo used for representational purpose only.) | Photo Credit: K. V. S. Giri

Shops, restaurants and cafes can now function 24x7 in Telangana after the State government issued guidelines allowing the shift. The State has modified opening and closing hour rules to make the change.

“The Telangana government, hereby, issue guidelines for granting exemption from Section 7 (opening and closing hours) of the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act 1988 to all Shops & Establishments as defined in Section 2 (21) of the Telangana Shops & Establishments Act 1988 for operating 24x7 in the State,” says the GO issued by the Labour department. The progressive move puts Hyderabad in the league of a few cities like Mumbai that are open all the time.

“This comes as great news for those whose daytime regimen does not allow them to savour the city and all that it has to offer,” said Ashish Chowdhury, a brand strategist with That’s No Moon. “From entertainment to recreation to food and beverage, players in all sectors can leverage this ruling to extend their current products and services, or innovate upon more novel initiatives,” says Mr. Chowdhury.

The change will have far reaching consequences for the city as the anomaly of 24x7 workplaces was not consonant with restaurants and shops being forced to shut down by 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. Ironically, this led to illegalities where certain food joints would stay open on the sly. The issue of safety was used as a bogeyman to shut down the restaurants. However, every year during Ramzan, shops and restaurants stay open throughout the city without any safety issues.

Restaurateurs had a cautious welcome to the move. “If it’s real, it is going to help and boost the restaurant business — keep in mind that if a restaurant needs to be kept open 24x7, it also means that your operational costs will go up — so it will be interesting to see how all that pans out. It might boost our so-called night life,” said Uttam Reddy, who runs a chain of Rayalaseema Ruchulu restaurants.

Overtime wages

The guidelines issued by the Labour department for welfare of employees in such establishments include overtime wages, consent of women to work in the night shift, to and fro transport for women employees in night shift, weekly working hours and other clauses.