Can eateries in the city be kept open beyond the Cinderella hour? You will relish the answer: the rulebook says yes. It’s the law enforcers who are forcing the eateries to shut down by 11.30 pm.

The Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishment Rules state that any eatery without a liquor licence issued by the civic body does not have a restricted closing time. After giving much food for thought, the BBMP too seems to be wanting it.

This issue has again taken centre-stage after the high court upheld Hotel Empire Group’s appeal to keep the restaurant open till late in the night as against the police notice to close down at 11.30 pm. When Hotel Empire can, why can’t other eateries, the hotel industry asks.

Bangalore’s growth has been exponential, both in terms of its urban sprawl and population. Over the last decade, Bangalore’s population growth rate has been 35%. The official projection figures from the directorate of economics and statistics say that Bangalore’s population could be 80,84,676 now, and by 2012, it would touch one crore.
But considering the urbanisation pace in Bangalore agglomerate (Bangalore Metropolitan Area), demographers say that Bangalore’s population may have already touched one crore now.