A common complaint among Hyderabadis is that their city shuts down early, leaving no space for a ‘nightlife’. Restaurants, bars and other establishments become fearful as midnight approaches, thanks to overzealous police officers who view anyone out late at night as a suspect engaged in wrongdoing. Just look at how they treat, or rather beat, any young person seen ‘loitering’ late at night. The police even have a name for this operation: ‘Mission Chabutra’. Baton-wielding officers were recently caught on video chasing people away, with earlier media reports noting how this operation has turned violent.
Police officers in Hyderabad have always been in overdrive when ensuring that the party ends even before it begins. Everyone here knows where to go for something to eat post-midnight, but nothing is officially open late into the night. It’s quite odd for a city that generally wakes up late and sleeps late.
It wasn’t long ago, in 2024, that all shops, bars and clubs were subjected to strict, almost totalitarian timings soon after the Congress came to power. The previous government had relaxed timings, allowing establishments to shut gradually by 1 am, but after the change in government, everything was being forcefully closed as early as 11 pm, or at the latest by 11:30 pm.
Everyone was up in arms, and eventually the Chief Minister himself stated that the timings would be relaxed. The police soon followed up with a formal notification. Since then, things have been okay. But the reason I am bringing this up now is that the government reportedly wants to make Hyderabad a ‘night-time capital’ by 2047.
This policy is part of the state’s plan to develop the Musi river into a major commercial hub, with all sorts of activities. It is here that the ‘nightlife’ plan comes into the picture.
“LOL.” That was the message I sent along with that article link to a friend who runs an establishment. It’s both funny and sad because the ‘nightlife’ mentioned in the media report talks of bazaars being open till 1 am. Places are already open until midnight, more or less, so adding another hour will not really make Hyderabad a ‘nightlife capital’. If the government really wants to do that, it will have to be on the lines of what happens during Ramzan, when markets remain open literally all night, until 5 am.
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A nightlife in Hyderabad is possible
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh has quietly allowed all shops and commercial establishments in urban centres to remain open 24/7. It really is that simple. The Hyderabad police may not want this to happen here, assuming it could lead to more law-and-order issues or crime. But criminals operate at night anyway, so more people out and about actually reduces the chances for shady activity.
In all honesty, cities across the world have markets that are allowed to remain open all night. Hyderabad definitely needs this. So while having a policy is a good start, if it only extends timings until 1 am, it’s hard to see how that benefits anyone.
In fact, the government should speak to owners of resto-bars and clubs in Hitec City and Jubilee Hills to understand what they need. That is where the nightlife is, and people there clearly want to go out. Sure, there is concern about more people driving after drinking, but there are ways to address that.
The Hyderabad Traffic Police, for instance, already does a great job of keeping this in check. So I am sure solutions exist if problems arise. More importantly, this would be good for Hyderabad’s brand. People here, especially native Hyderabadis, eat late dinners. There is a culture of staying out and meeting people late.
That is why weddings here often stretch until 3 am. The city wants to stay up late. So instead of worrying about potential problems, let’s hope the state government comes up with a better policy that takes into account the needs of existing businesses. It must truly lead us to a nightlife, and not one that ends near midnight.
After all, if someone wants to shop, have biryani, or go out anywhere late at night, they should have options.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history and culture. He posts on X @YunusLasania. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)