-Prashant Nagpal
Mumbai, the maximum city and sprawling metropolis of India comprises of a population of 18 million ‘Mumbaikars’ within the city and its suburban districts. The island city is officially the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India.
If there is one thing that Mumbai has taught its people, it is that time is nothing but a relative concept. She is one of the few cities in the world that is bursting with life through day and night and while it may be an arguable statement to make, it is about time to make Mumbai a 24×7 hub.
Being the financial and commercial capital, it is home to several thousand financial and commercial firms which are running throughout and fuelled by the committed and dedicated citizens of the city. Working from the wee hours of the night to morning is no easy task for anyone and to top it off, almost all facilities that are available during the day don’t seem to exist in the dark. Public transport, restaurants, street food, banking, are a few basic prerequisites all of us need for a normal work-day. What about the ‘normal work-night’?
It is time to re-evaluate and restructure how our city runs and that is exactly what the governing bodies are in the process of doing, very soon the taboo of ‘24×7’ may evolve in the reality of the 21st Century.
The film and entertainment industry has sown its roots deep into the culture and lifestyle of Mumbai. Every week there are on an average about 18 Bollywood and regional movies being released. It is almost tradition for movie buffs and families to watch a movie at least once a week in the many theatres and multiplexes spread across. Mumbai 24×7 will enable the cinema halls, multiplexes, and shopping malls to have their services running non-stop. Can’t sleep? Catch a movie!
Mumbai is also a renowned hotspot for its wild nightlife, sporting some of the best lounges and restaurants from the world over having its presence in the city. Although there are age restrictions in many venues serving alcoholic beverages, there are tons of places serving all the gourmet-cuisines that you could possibly know. Hopefully, in the near future, we won’t be hunting in our refrigerators to curb that midnight binge. Joey and I think pizza 24×7 is the best thing that can happen to us!
The government authorities shall analyze the city and create ‘Nightlife Zones’ where shops, establishments, and eateries will be granted the necessary permissions to serve the city that never sleeps, this will surely come as a blessing to many of the night-shift workforces.
As the course of discussions of the plan progresses, in due time citizens will also be given the opportunity to voice their opinions on its development before its implementation. Its high time that the city that never sleeps gets to stay awake!