Mumbai 24x7: BMC approaches malls in 24 wards to stay open through the night

The ‘Mumbai 24x7’ initiative allowing malls, shops, and eateries that do not serve alcohol to remain open all night with police permission, has found momentum again

The ‘Mumbai 24x7’ initiative allowing malls, shops, and eateries that do not serve alcohol to remain open all night with police permission, has found momentum again with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) approaching prominent malls to remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Assistant commissioners of the 24 administrative wards along with the Mumbai Police have started talks with big malls, following municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi’s directions last week.

Shops and restaurants inside the malls will be allowed to remain open all night long.

“All ward officers were directed to identify and start talks with malls to remain open 24x7, with police permissions. We will start with a few big malls in each of the seven zones in the city,” Pardeshi told Hindustan Times.

Shiv Sena had first mooted the concept in 2013 and has been following up on it since, with Sena legislator Aaditya Thackeray pushing for Mumbai to have a more vibrant nightlife.

In January 2018, the state had issued a notification, amending the Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act to allow shops, malls, restaurants that do not serve alcohol to operate through the night.

However, the police department raised security concerns and the issue was sent to the Home Ministry for approval.

The issue returned to prominence recently after Thackeray met Pardeshi last week.

BMC held a joint meeting with the Mumbai Police to consider the latter’s concerns. “We considered the police’s suggestions. The concerns about law and order, and noise are minimal at malls as opposed to smaller stand-alone establishments,” said Pardeshi.

“We are first speaking to the bigger malls in the city, which are close to main and busy roads. Here, the security concern will be mitigated and it will be more profitable for them to remain open all night. Their primary concern, apart from security, has remained whether they will make enough business to match the electricity and manpower costs of remaining open,” said a ward officer.

Kumar Rajagopalan, chief executive officer of Retailers Association of India, said, “Malls and shops remaining open all night is a good idea that benefits customers, retailers, and the government exchequer. The more the sales, the more GST. As long as it is not obligatory for shop owners to remain open. The idea will work better in areas where there are more consumers, such as airports, that see a crowd all the time.”

A representative from a prominent mall in the city’s suburbs told HT that they are yet to consider the idea.

“We have over 100 stakeholders in the mall who need to be consulted. We will be able to give consumers a good experience only if all stakeholders agree to participate,” he said.