Hyderabad: Curbs on timing hit food business at DLF street

Hyderabad: The popular DLF Street in Gachibowli, which was the epitome of Hyderabad’s nightlife, is now deserted post 12 am. In fact, a similar gloom has blanketed other late-night spots, dwindling nocturnal charm of the city.

The restriction on timings for DLF and other streets like it was imposed in October before the Assembly elections to ensure no untoward incidents occurred. All the establishments were closed by 11 pm.

However, a month after the election results are announced, the restrictions are yet to be lifted. Every night around 11.45 pm, police vans enter the street with their sirens on, signalling the vendors to close the shop. Post midnight, the street is empty and silent.

“Earlier, we used to keep our shops open late at night. But now, we close by 12 am and open again around 4 am. We are losing business, but what can we do about it,” says the owner of Momo’s Delight on DLF Street.

Alim, who runs the Pariwar Eatery on the same street, informs ‘Telangana Today‘ that all efforts to reach out to the administration were met with no response. “Nobody is listening to us. All eateries in the Cyberabad area are closed early,” he adds.

Although it is just around four hours that these shops are being shut, that time period is the key to the success of their business, often marking their highest sales. While the place is now a go-to for all the street food lovers in the city who are looking for a quick bite at night, the primary customers for these vendors are employees working graveyard shifts.

Being located in Gachibowli and in close proximity to companies that run around the clock, DLF Street was where many employees came out for their break. When asked why the eateries were being closed early, an official of the Gachibowli Police Station said, “As per the rules, all establishments must be closed by 12 midnight That is what we are enforcing in DLF Street.”

According to him, as of now, authorities have no plans to allow these establishments to run beyond midnight. The same is the scenario at other late-night street food spots like Malkam Cheruvu, IDL Lake, near ITC Kohenur, and others.