mangalore today

City businesses to be open late with new laws in place


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, July 3, 2016: With the new law allowing shops, malls and cinema halls, among other establishments, to be open 24x7 throughout the year received Cabinet assent a couple of days back, Shipping and Malls in the city decided to test the the waters during the festive season by extending shopping hours till midnight.

A Mall in Pandeshwar here will keep its doors open to shoppers till midnight from July 1 to July 10. It is not exactly 24X7, but for a city which is in slumber by 9.pm, it is a head start.


forum mall


It is reported the mall will operate beyond its regular business hours by two hours from 10am to 12 midnight. This is the festive season and patrons will take full advantage of the various offers and enjoy the shopping experience without bothering about the time.

He said this was a temporary arrangement as of now, indicating the mall management may have a re-look if it works. The mall’s regular working hours are from 9.30am to 10pm.

During this temporary extension, 40 of the 100 establishments have agreed to keep their shutters up till midnight. "This was a voluntary call and 40 have agreed to participate in this extended business hour proposal,’’ he said. There will be no female employees working during this extended hours. "We have 70 male staff that will manage the shops and will be dropped to their doorsteps. We have hired buses for this,’’ he added.

The management  said they have got police permission and according to their instructions the security will be beefed up and the CCTV will be operational during those extra hours. "The mall will have additional expenses in terms of operating the lights, air conditioning and security, but the establishments will benefit as many NRIs who have come down during this season will avail of the many offers that are currently on for the festive season,’’ he said.

This correspondent has noted that a "Food Street" set up on the East side of the Forum Mall is drawing good crowds. Many rare food items are on sale and this is noncontributing to the festive atmosphere too.