Ghiyasuddin’s eyes wander down the road again and again as he walks towards the fire in a makeshift eatery. It’s 11.30 pm on a weekday and the traffic moving around the inaccessible Cheruvu in Hyderabad never stops, and every slow-moving vehicle draws a glance. “People come here all night long,” he says, glancing up and down the street to see customers and other nearby businesses. “But I usually stop work by 1 am, when the police vehicle comes around midnight, it creates panic for the diners as well as us,” he adds.
The place remains unusually busy late at night. Cars and motorcycles slow down, then accelerate past a dozen rumbling bars outside a luxury hotel. Millions of lights emanating from offices, shopping malls and high-rise apartments fill the street with a pale yellow glow.
At the roadside, acrid cooking smoke hangs in the air. The pans and pans start clanging, the chilli oil starts crackling and its pungent heat enters the nose. A car moves forward. Three young men walk out, hunch their shoulders against the smoke and heat, fold their hands over their chests and ask for ‘bamboo chicken biryani’.
Ghiyasuddin picks up a thick bamboo tube from the fire, cracks it, and pours out a dish of smooth, spicy, red rice onto three disposable plates. Priced at ₹300, the dish attracts a steady stream of customers, some of whom sit on plastic chairs and tables on the roadside while others eat inside their cars.
Ghiyasuddin, a resident of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, serves food to dozens of people every night, works fast and always pays attention to the sirens of police vehicles.
For years, Hyderabad’s nightlife has thrived on caution and chance, but that scene may change by the New Year. As Cinderella hour approaches, the sound of police sirens in select commercial areas of Hyderabad may soon become a thing of the past. In an effort to bring nightlife into the mainstream, the Telangana government is set to introduce several proposals under the Night Time Economy (NTE).
“We will launch NTE from January, initially on select stretches in the old city, Secunderabad and Cyberabad,” says Jayesh Ranjan, special chief secretary to the state government.
The night economy in itself is not new to Hyderabad. During the month-long Ramzan, the three days of Shivratri or the 10 days of Muharram, the city comes alive after dark, creating extraordinary business opportunities. Restaurant owners often start the Ramadan countdown for the availability of Haleem at midnight. Iconic restaurants like the Alhamdulillah Hotel in Aghapura, Nayaab and Shadab near Naya Pul, along with countless others in the inner lanes, operate long after official closing hours, often in a cat-and-mouse game with police patrolling.
In contrast to these seasonal bursts of activity, the new initiative aims to make the late-night business a year-round reality, ridding it of bureaucracy and turning it into a legitimate, organized opportunity.
“The new 24×7 framework is completely different. It is zone-based, not permission-based. Once an area is declared a night-time economy zone, every business inside it can automatically operate till late – no permits, no licenses, no inspection, no NOC, no departments,” explains Nalamotu Chakraborty, founder of Center for Liberty, who helped draft the policy.
no interference
He said, “The previous 24×7 initiative launched under KTR (BRS leader and former Industries Minister K.T.Rama Rao) collapsed because it depended on the old model of licenses, permits and bureaucratic gatekeeping. Businesses had to go through a maze of approvals, which killed the reforms before they could even begin. Under the new system, there is no permit raj or license raj. Government officials will stay away from business operations. The role of the government will be limited.”
The policy identifies four key factors required for permit-free night zones. “Economic density was the first criteria. Areas with a high concentration of commercial establishments like Hitech City and the Financial District were prioritized as they naturally support late-night economic activity. Second, areas that already attract people at night – food streets, malls, multiplexes, restaurants and entertainment corridors – were chosen as they can be activated quickly without creating new demand,” explains Chakraborty.
Hitech City, one of Hyderabad’s most luxurious neighborhoods with a dense mix of offices and residences, has a secret: extremely high rents compared to other parts of the city. According to the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), which tracks property values, rental rates have reached ₹106 per sq ft, showing a 13% year-on-year increase due to high demand-supply ratio, with Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai playing a key role in the rise.
These high rents turn the food business into a high-stakes gamble.
Spoilt for choice
Inside Sattva Knowledge City, office goers and occasional visitors are spoiled for choice. Whiskey Samba, Burma Burma, Rasta, Salt, Toscano, Flurries & Monastery, compete for attention with Starbucks, Third Wave Coffee and Hard Rock Café. But last orders are still called between 11 pm and 11.30 pm, just as hordes of IT employees emerge in search of a ride, a smoke, a cup of tea or a few minutes of chat before heading home.
This is the socio-economic demand that the 24×7 policy seeks to address. NTE is expected to boost the economy of Hyderabad, with its contribution expected to increase from ₹8,500 crore in 2025 to ₹26,011 crore by 2032, representing a compound annual growth rate of 20.4%. The expansion is also expected to create 2.1-2.4 lakh jobs by 2031 in hospitality, retail, entertainment, transportation and security sectors.
A Shashank Rao, managing director of Café Nilofer, says, “People who come to Paris want to see it at night. The Eiffel Tower should be experienced both day and night. Tourists in Hyderabad want the same.” He breaks down the restaurant’s economics by the hour: “From morning to afternoon, we do about 25% of our business. From afternoon to night, it’s 75%, but we still pay salaries to cover both periods. About 80% of the business happens in the last eight hours, about 10% per hour. If hours of operation are extended, we will benefit and customers will also have more choices. It will be very beneficial to businesses.”
He says parking and staffing are minor challenges, but challenges nonetheless.
“To coordinate this ecosystem, the city will appoint a Night Czar, an independent authority whose job is not to regulate businesses but to grow the night economy by reducing government interference and ensuring smooth coordination between departments. The additional tax revenue generated by a thriving night economy in hospitality, retail, transportation, entertainment and logistics will more than cover the costs of expanded police presence, sanitation, lighting and public transportation,” Chakraborty says.
The Vision 2047 document outlines the role of the Night Commissioner and the implementation of the transformative policy. “The state sets up a single empowered office coordinating security, sanitation and mobility to enable rapid decision-making… The municipal administration will notify NTE zones – Gachibowli, Madhapur, Jubilee-Banjara Hills, Tank Bund, Old City and Airport-Financial District – then expand across the city to achieve seamless 24×7 operations,” it states.
The road along the inaccessible Cheruvu is teeming with night life which may become a regular feature with the new policy. , Photo Courtesy: Serish Nanisetty
Outside Paul’s restaurant in the Financial District, Bilal Majumdar is mocking the smartly dressed office crowd. “How much money do these people make? ₹50,000? I deliver 45 to 50 orders between noon and 4 a.m. In a good month, I earn up to ₹80,000. I deliver at least 20 orders after midnight because many restaurants remain open, and I can drive at 80-100 kmph,” said the 25-year-old man from Silchar, who is a Work for a food-delivery app, say.
Bilal is also a consumer, keeping the city’s food economy going. “I have breakfast at midnight before finishing my day and having dinner at home,” he says.
Hyderabad, apart from attracting a large IT workforce, is home to millions of skilled and gig workers who keep the city dynamic. Kamal Bahadur, who came to the city 13 years ago and now sells momos near the Hitech City metro station, shares a part of the story: “Most of these people don’t live here. They come here to eat with friends.”
Challenges of the night economy
On this small stretch of footpath, 62 food kiosks cater to the cravings of home-sick workers with Rayalaseema Chicken Pakori, Narendra Ram Chole Kulche, Punjabi Paratha, Pokhara Momos and more. But as midnight approaches, the vibrant sidewalk slowly turns into a garbage-strewn corridor, a reminder of the challenges that come with a thriving night-time economy.
Sanitation, hygiene, toilets and waste disposal are one of the major challenges of this ambitious policy. To address them, the plan focuses on urban design improvements with a focus on clean public toilets, strategically placed waste bins and dedicated night sanitation squads. It also includes extending metro and state-run bus services till 2 am, adding night shuttle services and dedicated auto and taxi stands. The security measures go beyond monitoring with pink patrolling, women-only night hub, smart lighting, CCTV coverage and SOS system.
Even as the city plans to make these systemic changes, life still buzzes at night. Outside Café Nilofar near T-Hub, a couple poses for their wedding album at 11 pm, the colorful lights of T-Hub, an innovation intermediary and business incubator in Hyderabad, twinkling behind them as the queues of vehicles blur by. With his photographer friends, they eventually go to the café.
A little further, on Tank Bund Road, a group of friends wait for midnight to cut the cake and throw confetti into the air. Meanwhile, at Roast CCX in Banjara Hills, as the clock strikes 12, a voice calls out “Last orders”.
Come January, those two scary words may finally be a thing of the past, as Hyderabad moves closer to an uninterrupted 24×7 night economy.
