Businesses express reservations over 24/7 policy

Hyderabad: The Telangana government amended the Telangana Shops and Establishment Act 1988 to allow commercial establishments and enterprises to operate 24/7, however it appears that many café owners and businesses are not excited about the idea.

Although it is too early to predict future business behavior, several establishments, particularly those on the city's non-IT corridor side - Hyderguda, Abids, Narayanaguda, Himayatnagar, Ramnagar, Secunderabad, Habsiguda, and so on - believe the move may not be a profitable option for them.

"We aren't a busy place with customers walking in even late at night. The area is usually populated by commercial complexes, schools, colleges, and families - not the type of people who would visit us after midnight, so it's not usually profitable to stay open at night after hiring extra staff for an extra shift," said manager of Mirosa Café in Himayatnagar.

According to James Vincent, manager of the Superly Cafe in RTC ‘X’ Roads, most of his clients are students who rarely come in after 12 a.m. "But I'm still open to the idea of 24/7 business policy," he said, "once I find out if my regular customers would be interested in something like that."

Uttam Reddy, proprietor of Rayalaseema Ruchulu, isn't sure yet. “We'll have to wait and watch how things pan out,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the ‘young things’ are disappointed that the GO does not apply to pubs and clubs. Richa Meghal, a graphic designer, stated that it would have been better if the policy included bars and pubs. "I know it would mean more work, but it would also mean more money. During the late-night hours, there will be no shortage of people walking in to drink. Of course, there's the issue of crowd control, but that's a manageable obstacle with additional bouncers and a more thorough entry checklist," she explained.

Another concern mentioned by willing owners was the cooperation of the police. "Given the area our eatery is in, we will require a lot of support from the police," said Arun Rueben, proprietor of the Fat Cat Kitchen in Yapral. "We'd be happy to consider remaining open 24/7 if the cops are forthcoming without any other extra liability like opening their purse pockets," he said, adding that the safety of his female customers is also a priority to consider, and "it can get troublesome without police involvement."

Vinay Krishna Kodali, one of the promoters of Funnel Hill Creamery, said that the team is looking forward to remaining open 24/7 and have already approached the Labour Commissioner Ahmad Nadeem for the license. "We await the proper guidelines and once we're fine with them all, we can't wait to go all in. We hope to start off with Jubilee Hills first before implementing it with our Begumpet and Madhapur outlets," he told Deccan Chronicle. If things work out, they could be the first such establishment in the city to get their license and operate 24/7. "We are currently working on the operational costs to hire more staff to fit multiple shifts. At the moment, once we get the license, we will probably stay open until 4/4.30 am before opening again at 8 am for breakfast, and then see how it pans out later," he said.