Hyderabad: Citizens wake up mantri, MLA to know closure time of hotels

Hyderabad: In a viral call recording, an unidentified person called State Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali late at night on Wednesday seeking answers to a query regarding the decision on relaxing business hours of restaurants and hotels till 1 am.

According to reports, after a fight broke out over biryani and running of biryani hotels till late night, a person from the Old City called the minister, wanting to know how long biryani shops and hotels are permitted to remain open. He said there was news circulating in social media that the timing has been increased till 1 am.

Ali, in a polite way, asked the caller was it a question to be asked to the Home Minister. He told him that as HM he has hundreds of tensions running in his mind and informed that hotels will be closed before 12 am. He said citizens should follow government orders and not believe rumors on social media. Later, the caller appealed to Ali to not accord permission to hotels to run till 1 am, citing perceived law and order disturbances. Meanwhile, several people from the city are also against the idea of allowing it to happen. They fear it could lead to law and order problems.

In another viral call recording, a person, Imran, also reportedly called up AIMIM MLA Mumtaz Ahmed Khan and complained that they (MLA) approached the city police on behalf of hoteliers seeking permission to do business till 1 am, which is destroying the law and order. He told the MLA not to seek such permission which is destroying peace. However, at a press conference on Thursday at the Integrated Command and Control Centre replying to a question regarding hotels to run till 1 am, Police Commissioner C V Anand said, "all hotels in the city should close at stipulated time which is before 12 am."

Last week, a delegation of the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had met Anand and asked him to give permission for hotels to run till 1 am.