Late on Thursday night, the Maharashtra Assembly passed a law to keep shops, restaurants open all night
Representation pic/Thinkstock
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Mumbai will now truly be the city that never sleeps. Late on Thursday night, the Assembly approved an amendment to the Shops & Establishments Act to allow restaurants and shops to remain open 24 hours. The upper house is expected to clear the amendment today, the last day of the Monsoon Session.
Representation Pic/Thinkstock
Allowing eateries and shops to stay open all night will not only give the city's nightlife a huge boost, but will also greatly benefit the night shift workforce. Currently, only swanky hotels and coffee shops are open for business late in to the night, but such places are not affordable for everybody. The decision will also increase employment, as well as revenue in taxes.
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Shiv Sena youth leader Aaditya Thackeray has been pushing this agenda for a long time, and also got the Sena-controlled BMC to put a plan in place two years ago. "The city works 24X7, so its establishments should also work 24 hours," he said.
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He also tweeted that the common man those who work late hours should be able to relax with friends and family post work, and that's why he had proposed it in 2013.
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"In 2015, when the then police commissioner gave his go-ahead, and I met CM with the proposal, the plan was praised by many and also criticised by many as 'immoral'," he said, adding, "It's an irony that now the government has finally accepted it."
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