mumbai fourteen prominent fivestar hotels in mumbai are heaving a sigh of relief as the police have allowed them to keep their pubs lounges and discotheques open till 3 am due to the flow of international tourists and businesspersons to the city however many other businesses who had the permission to stay open till 3 am are calling the polices insistence on a 130 am deadline unfair and not in the interest of the city in a recent letter to city hotels including starrated ones the police said their crimefighting and antiterror operations were getting severely affected as they have to use manpower to combat illegal activities in latenight lounges and pubs therefore the police asked establishments not to serve drinks and food after 130 am many hotels were keeping their pubs lounges and discos open till 3 am after permission was granted to them by the state industries department under the mumbai shops and establishments regulations of 1948 there were some allegations that most establishments had not renewed their permission for the 3 am deadline kamlesh barot president of hotels and restaurants association of western india hrawi which counts around 600 graded hotels among its members said the police clarified in a meeting with hrawi members that 14 major fivestar hotels in the city had been spared the 130 am deadline the 14 prominent hotels have already been protected from such a notice and we are not party to any case in the high court against the 130 am notice said barot however ahar an association of over 7000 hotels and restaurants in the city said the blanket 130 am order was not in the interest of society we can understand the police taking action against anyone indulging in illegal practices but this is not the case with all hoteliers in the city said sukesh shetty secretary of ahar for decades many businesses have had licenses to keep food and drink services open till 3 am mumbai is a business and tourist hub and food can be a necessity in emergency situations this order will adversely affect the city it will also hurt international tourists who land in the city late at night shetty added that illegal activities may comprise 1 to 2 of the citys latenight business barot said that after 2611 and other terrorist attacks security has become the job of hotels as well as the police