We all have been cribbing for negligible or almost no nightlife in Chandigarh. Shops & showrooms start closing down by 9:00 PM, restaurants serve till 11:00 PM and discos are open till 12:00 midnight.
One exception to this rule was shopping malls which stay open till last movie gets over i.e. around 2:00 AM. However, by the time when one gets out of the hall, there is no open restaurant, no open showroom and you don’t get to see anyone around.
But now, there’s a good news. The government of India has introduced a model law where all shopping malls, cinemas and certain showrooms & shops can remain open all 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the year. The law will certainly make nightlife much more comfortable not just in Chandigarh, but in entire India.
What can remain open 24*7 in Chandigarh?
- All shopping malls like Elante, Centra Mall, DT Mall etc.
- Showrooms or shops in any sector of Chandigarh. Provided they have 10 or more employees.
- Cinemas – PVR, DT, Cinepolis, Fun Cinemas or any other cinema hall in Chandigarh.
- Departmental stores like – Reliance Fresh, Big Bazaar etc.
There are some home delivery restaurants that serve Chandigarh till 4:00 AM in the morning but they do not have an establishment since they could not keep it open after 11:00 PM. But now, such shops, showrooms can remain open for 24 hours a day.
The bill named “The Model Shops and Establishment (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services) Bill 2016” has been cleared by the Government of India and now no one needs special permission to operate his business 24 x 7 , provided he fulfills the conditions. However, proper safety of women employees has to be guaranteed by businesses that operate 24 hours.
How it will help Nightlife in Chandigarh?
If we had to talk about nightlife in Chandigarh, there is not much that can be listed. Chandigarh Administration had set up a night food street near PU & PGI which is a favorite among many. Another outlet that remains open during late night is Aroma in Sector 22.
But with this law being implemented in Chandigarh, we hope that the city will not be the same anymore. Much more activity is expected during late night hours and maybe we even have more of restaurants, shops, showrooms and special movie shows happening throughout the night.
Movie shows at night? I’m talking about normal movie shows which can be watched with family. Don’t think about THAT dude. But, who knows…