PUNE: The state home department on Thursday allowed the restaurants and bars in Mahabaleshwar to serve food and liquor beyond 11.30pm and pull the shutters down at 12midnight if no Covid-induced restrictions were in place.
Satara district collector Shekhar Singh told TOI, “The new home department order on the extension of deadline for closing restaurants is applicable in the hill station with immediate effect because no night time Covid restrictions are in place in Satara currently.”
A state government notification issued in this regard on Thursday stated that the demand for the deadline extension was put forth in a review meeting held in February 2020 in Mahabaleshwar under the chairmanship of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to improve the night life at the hill station.
A senior official from the state home department said the earlier deadline to serve food and liquor in restaurants and bars in Mahabaleshwar was 10 pm, but they had an additional window for cleaning and wrapping up operations till 11.30 pm. “Now, they can serve food and liquor beyond 11.30 pm, but will have to shut the establishments at 12midnight,” he said.
“The extension has been given for the benefit of tourists visiting the hill station. But the new timings would be applicable only if no additional restrictions, are in place in Satara,” he said.
