Bengaluru Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy issued an order on Friday, October 14 stating that eateries in the city can function till 1 am. This comes after the Bangalore Hotels Association filed a complaint about how police officers force them to close eateries by 11 pm. The Commissioner added that police officials are supposed to follow the government order issued in 2016 which gave restaurants and eateries in the city permission to function from 6 am to 1 am.
In a statement, the Commissioner said, “In the mentioned order dated: 01-07-2016 with effect from 01-07-2016 in the public places under the jurisdiction of Bangalore City Commissioner, the business hours of the food and snack places are permitted to operate from 6 am to 1 am. In this regard, the Divisional Deputy Commissioners of Police and their subordinate officers are instructed to inform the staff to take the necessary action as per rules.”
According to the Hindustan Times, in April this year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Hotels and Restaurant Association (BBHRA) wrote to the then Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant asking the department for permission to run restaurants and eateries throughout the day. The owners of these establishments said that the continuous lockdowns and restrictions due to the pandemic had affected their business and asked the government to consider their request. Bangalore Mirror mentioned that having restaurants that function round the clock would help people who work late night shifts.
However, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that it was not possible for the government to allow restaurants and eateries to function throughout the day.
The Bangalore Mirror said that neighbourhood and residential associations were not too pleased with the idea because they believe that this would cause disturbances, especially if the restaurants and eateries are located in or close to residential areas.