Akshay Kumar | Mumbai
The Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Rakesh Maria has given a green signal to give necessary support to revive nightlife in Mumbai. The commissioner has taken a positive step to provide safety and security if restaurants, bars and pubs are allowed to remain open all night.
Welcoming the support from the commissioner, Bharat Malkani, president, Hotels & Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) said, “It is heart-warming to know that the commissioner keeps a bigger perspective for the city and I appreciate the commissioner for his position. Keeping safety at the core, he has permitted establishments to operate in non-residential areas giving Mumbaikars an opportunity to enjoy the nightlife. This also sends out a bold and welcoming message to foreigners visiting the city. This move will go a long way to boost tourism and hospitality.”
The decision will be rolled out in a phased manner with pubs and restaurants at all the major tourism hubs like Fort, Nariman Point, Bandra Kurla Complex and the Airport area to get permission and later on will be extended to other areas. Malkani added, “We want to match Mumbai with other global popular destinations. If the decision is passed by the other ministries, then the average per night stay of tourists to Mumbai will increase. Even if tourists stay for one extra night, the revenue will increase by around INR550 crore.”
Malkani added, “We hope that the other departments of the Government of Maharashtra also support this initiatives and bring similar regulations. Once we get the other required permissions, we shall ask our other industry partners to help us for better funcitioning.”