In a first, eateries to operate till midnight

Nagpur: Probably for the first time in the district, restaurants and hotels have been allowed to operate till midnight. A decision on extension of timings of wine shops and bars is likely on Thursday.
As per the latest guidelines of the state government, municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B and collector R Vimala issued orders on Wednesday for implementation of increase in timings. For other establishments the closing time is now 11pm. The revised timings came into effect from Wednesday itself. Till Tuesday, everything had to be shut by 10 pm.
Treasurer of Nagpur Eatery Owners’ Association Mandeep Singh Padam told TOI that extension till midnight is “a historic and welcome move”. “Before Covid-19 set in, eateries were permitted to remain open till 11.30pm. An additional one hour was permitted for clearance. We will request the authorities that this should be now 1-1.30 am,” he said.
Padam added hoteliers should comply with all Covid-19 guidelines. “Home delivery has been allowed for 24 hours and should be continued,” he said.
Welcoming the move, hotelier Rahul Modi said, “We have incurred huge financial losses due to lockdown, consistent revision in timings and not being allowed to function till late evening. The extension will also benefit people as they will get their choice of food till midnight. Also, a large number of staff working in eateries can hope to go back to old salaries. The midnight timing should be made permanent,” he said.
Modi also feels that the extended timing will help comply with all guidelines. “Now it will be easier to maintain 50% capacity as customer entry can be staggered,” he said.
The district administration did not issue revised order for bars and wine shops on Wednesday. Sources from the district administration and excise department said timings of bars and wine shops too will be up to midnight.
Hotelier Jasbir Singh Arora said bars should be allowed to remain open till 1.30am. “It was permitted before the pandemic,” he said.
IN A NUTSHELL
*State allows restaurants, eateries and hotels till midnight
*Closing time of other establishments now 11pm
*Decision on timings of wine shops and bars on Thursday