Now, eateries near Bengaluru's major bus stand and railway station to be open 24x7

From Thursday onwards eateries in Bengaluru, located near a major bus stand and a railway station will be allowed to operate 24 hours in a day.

According to Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar, the city police department has decided to allow only “darshinis” (affordable eateries) to be open 24 hour in a day.

“Only darshinis at Kempegowda Bus Station and the Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station will be allowed to operate 24 hours in a day. Pubs, restaurants and small eateries in other areas in the city will be allowed to open till 1 am only,” Suneel Kumar said.

The Commissioner said that the police had received several requests from travelers, who had aired concerns about restaurants near bus stations and railway stations being shut late at night.

“This order has been issued only to ensure that those travelling late at night do not go hungry. Normally, restaurants have to be shut down by 1 am but only for these two locations, we are allowing restaurants to be open. We have issued an order to the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotel Owners’ Association (BBHOA),” he added.

The Police Commissioner said that due to fear of law and order problems, the Police Department had decided to not allow this rule to be applicable in other parts of the city.

“There are many concerns when it comes to implementing this rule across Bengaluru. Firstly, it is the safety issue. We had already stepped up patrolling in the city after the restaurants were allowed to open till 1 am. The department is short staffed and it becomes important to maintain law and order. Recently, there were complaints about an ACP assaulting the owner of Shetty Lunch Home. It is not just law and order but also fear of such instances that makes it inadvisable for restaurants and pubs to be open throughout the day,” a senior police official said.

Speaking to TNM, Ramachandra Rao, Manager of BBHOA said that after repeated requests made by the association and general public, the Bengaluru Police has finally conceded.

“Initially, we had requested that all eateries in the city be allowed to operate on a 24x7 basis. The Police never allowed the hotels to be open after 1 am due to law and order concerns. Now that many travellers have also expressed their concerns, they have allowed some place to be open throughout the day. But we want all hotels to be able to operate throughout the day,” Ramachandra Rao added.