Pune: After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently extended the timings of bars, restaurants to 1 in the night, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Thursday also allowed to extend the timings of these establishments till 1 am.
This means all hotels, restaurants and bars in the city are permitted to remain open till 1 am. PMC Commissioner Vikram Kumar in his order on Thursday said, “The restaurants, bars and hotels those outside the containment zones can continue to operate till 1 with all COVID-19 restrictions while the shops in the city can function from 7 am to 11 pm.”
The order further stated, “The liquor shops are also allowed to operate in the city from 10 am to 10.30 pm.”
The move is being welcomed by the city’s hotel and restaurants as a sign of going back to normalcy after hit badly amid the pandemic. Ganesh Shetty, President of Pune Restaurant and Hoteliers Association after the decision said, “We welcome the decision of the administration. The extension of timing will provide a boost for businesses that are worst hit. The decision will also inspire many restaurants to re-open which have continued to remain shut post-lockdown.”
“Till date, customers had to be at the restaurant before 10 pm max to guarantee they had a table and the last order was taken by 10.30 pm. With the industry reeling under lockdown, we had requested the government for the time extension. This is a great move as it will help restaurants to generate more revenue,” he added.
Around 8,500 restaurants in the city are associated with Pune Hoteliers’ Association. Shetty informed that almost all restaurants in the city are following all COVID-19 restrictions and now this move is a great booster for them.
“We are extremely happy with this extension of the operation hours for the cafes and restos. This will recover our night business. Amid lockdown rules, we failed to generate revenue. Even festivals such as Diwali, Christmas and New Year also went off last year. The move will hopefully give impetus to the industry,” a restaurant owner in Kothrud who wished to remain unnamed expressed.