This Article is From Oct 05, 2013

Aditya Thackeray's 'Mumbai open all night' proposal receives a thumbs up from the youth

Several residents feel Mumbai's cosmopolitan image has dwindled over the years

Mumbai: Yuva Sena president Aditya Thackeray's plans to make Mumbai a city that is open 24x7 has got an approval from the city's youth. The 23-year-old wants Mumbai to have 24-hour cafes, restaurants and convenience stores for "some chilling time post work."

The young college graduate's proposal has been cleared by the city's municipal corporation, run by the Sena, which is headed by Mr Thackeray's father, Uddhav.

Also giving the proposal is the city's youth, who say this will make the city more vibrant and maybe a safer place too.

Renzi D'Souza, a mass media student says the move is a step towards making Mumbai more cosmopolitan. She adds, "This is a welcome step. This means that more people will go out and explore the city at night. I come from Bangalore where everything shuts at 11. Maybe this will inspire cities like Bangalore also to do a rethink on their policy."

For a city that aspires to be Shanghai, many say, this is the right way to go. Mihika Gupta, a young resident of Mumbai, says, "There is this perception that Mumbai is a city that never sleeps. Perhaps now that statement will hold true."

Senior journalist Bacchi Karkaria says "Mumbai used to be an extremely vibrant and safe city till there was a clampdown on its cosmopolitan lifestyle. It's high time we allowed people to go out and have a good time rather than shutting everything down."

The move is perhaps a beginning, but there is still a long way to go. In New York, London or even Bangkok have on offer, Mumbai is disappointing. Pubs and bars here shut at 1:00am but in other international cities pubs, super markets, spas and gyms are open 24x7. The list also includes dentists and libraries. With this move, many are hoping that eventually the city will be at par with other international cities with more regulations being relaxed.
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