AP bars, restaurants have reason to cheer

In a move that will cheer up Andhra Pradesh bar and restaurant owners, the Chandrababu Naidu government, has decided to relax the two-week c...

In a move that will cheer up Andhra Pradesh bar and restaurant owners, the Chandrababu Naidu government, has decided to relax the two-week chapter of 11 pm curfew. The bargain has resulted in a one hour bonus for restaurants. They have been allowed to remain open till 1 am in the night.

Bars, however, will be required to be shut by 12 pm. Discotheques in four and five star hotels have been permitted to stay open all through the night.

The State Tourism Promotion Board (STPB) which met here yesterday under the chairmanship of Chief

Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu took this decision.

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The ‘‘brewolutionary’’ decision has been taken to keep visitors and residents in good spirits as the Visit Hyderabad Festival is in the offing coinciding with the Fish Medicine Mela.

There had been widespread criticism over police picking up an arcane section from the 1970 Excise Act and forcing restaurants to close by 10.30 pm.

Even convenios in the premises of petrol stations were being forced to shut. Though the Excise Act was invoked to force the 10.30 pm curfew, all restaurants were also forced to down their shutters.

In a city just discovering night life and with a number of people working in the night, the curfew decision was doomed from the start. There were murmurs of dissent even in the Police Department over the issue.