Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has finally given a nod to keep the restaurants, shopping malls and food courts opened till midnight. He has asked his officials to check the feasibility to keep them opened till late night. This will be a big relief for the floating population of Vijayawada which is looking forward to a happening nightlife.
It has been quite some time, the hotel entrepreneurs are seeking permission from the government to increase their business hours till 12 midnight. It will help them attract the crowd which is desperate to let their hair down in the late-night hours.
“The demand from consumers is increasing day by day and Vijayawada is gradually getting accustomed to metropolitan culture. Already we have a lot of people coming in from Singapore, Japan and other countries. If implemented, the decision will give the city a lift,” B Venkateswara Reddy of Andhra Pradesh Hotel Owners’ Association was quoted by The Economic Times as saying.
Hoteliers have seen a subsequent growth in the floating population after the capital announcement. Before this, both domestic tourists and foreigners were heading towards Amaravati. Sometime back the hoteliers of Vijayawada Hotel Owners Association (VHOA) had approached police commissioner D Gautam Sawang, to seek permission to keep hotels open till midnight or extend the hours. Since the hotels are well equipped with CCTVs and security personnel, there should not be any problem. Sawang had assured the Hotel Owners to scrutinize the matter but nothing was heard from him later.
Malls too are ready to give the thumbs-up but still admitted to an element of scepticism. “Food courts remain open round the clock in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. The youth are keen to enjoy like their counterparts elsewhere and keeping open malls till 12 am will give a new dimension to the city. However, the modalities should be worked out to ensure a socially-acceptable environment,” manager of a mall on MG Road was quoted by The Economic Times as saying.
