"A positive step": Restaurants' Association on Maharashtra govt's decision to extend timings

A day after the Maharashtra government announced to extend the timings of restaurant from October 22, the restaurants’ association in Mumbai are happy with the decision and has welcomed the move.

Reports suggest that the timings for restaurants in Mumbai are likely to be extended up to 12 am to 1 am.

Moreover, in light of these developments and also considering that Diwali is just around the corner, the Indian Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHAR), Mumbai, has once again appealed to the state government to extend the operational timings of city restaurants till 1:30 am. Previously, AHAR had already written to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner and Maharashtra Chief Minister requesting the same.

Meanwhile, talking about Mumbai, in particular, the state Health minister Rajesh Tope said that restaurants will be extended till midnight in the city, to take their last orders till 12-1 am. Whereas, for the rest of the state, local bodies can decide on keeping Mumbai timings as the base.

Welcoming the move, AHAR President, Shivanand Shetty said: "Restoring the city restaurant timings to pre-COVID days is a very positive step. During the festive season it is a very required one and will add to the festive spirit. We appreciate the efforts put in by healthcare workers, authorities and state government to control the situation we were in, during which the industry suffered a lot."

The BMC has assured that the vaccination drive in the city is going on in full swing, with no shortage of vaccines in sight. According to an official statement, 55% of the city has been fully vaccinated, with 97%  having received at least one dose.

In a meeting with the state COVID-19 task force, reports stated that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has directed the authorities to curate the guidelines for extending shop timings from October 22. In addition to this, even amusement parks will commence alongside cinema halls and movie theatres in the state. However, in amusement parks, water rides will not be permitted to operate.