Maharashtra’s hospitality industry seeks extended bar operating hours for the FIFA World Cup Final

MUMBAI: Football fans hoping to watch the FIFA World Cup Final at their favourite hotel or restaurant could get a late-night boost if the Maharashtra government accepts a hospitality industry’s request to extend bar operating hours for a single night.The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) (HRAWI) has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking permission for permit rooms and bars operating within licensed hotels and restaurants across the state to remain open until 3.30am on Monday, July 20, to coincide with the live telecast of the FIFA World Cup Final.The request comes amid growing enquiries from customers wanting to watch the showpiece event at hotels and restaurants, according to the industry body.The final, among the world’s most watched sporting events, is expected to attract football enthusiasts, domestic tourists and international visitors.If approved, the relaxation would be a one-time exemption from existing operating hour restrictions and would apply only to licensed hospitality establishments.HRAWI president Jimmy Shaw said allowing licensed venues to remain open for the duration of the match would provide football fans with a safe and regulated environment to enjoy the event instead of gathering at unregulated locations.“The FIFA World Cup Final is a truly global sporting spectacle that brings people together across cultures and borders. Allowing a one-time extension of operating hours for licensed hotel and restaurant bars will enable patrons to enjoy the match in a safe, regulated and professionally managed environment while also supporting tourism and the hospitality sector,” Shaw said.The association has pointed out that Karnataka and Assam have granted similar one-time relaxations for licensed hospitality establishments during previous FIFA World Cup finals while maintaining public safety, law and order, excise compliance and licensing conditions.It has also submitted similar representations to the governments of Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.HRAWI spokesperson Pradeep Shetty said existing restrictions prevent licensed hotel bars from serving guests for the entire duration of late-night global sporting events, even as several other categories of businesses are permitted to operate round the clock.He said the proposed extension could benefit customers by providing supervised venues to watch the match while also generating additional business through late-night dining, food and beverage sales and tourism-related spending.The association has assured the state government that participating establishments would comply with all licensing conditions, excise rules, police directives, public safety measures, crowd management protocols and noise control norms if the request is approved.The state government has not yet announced a decision on the representation.For football fans, the government’s response will determine whether they can cheer their teams until the final whistle in licensed hotels and restaurants or will have to make alternative arrangements before closing hours kick in.For the hospitality industry, the decision could test Maharashtra’s approach to balancing customer demand, tourism promotion and regulatory safeguards during major international sporting events.

Khazana, a ghazal festival, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The event continues its mission to support cancer and thalassemia patients. This year’s edition honors Asha Bhosle and showcases new talent. Proceeds will fund medical treatment and care for underprivileged children. The festival unites music lovers and philanthropists for a cause.

The city’s most cherished musical fundraiser is set to return for a landmark 25th edition. Khazana – A Festival of Ghazals, conceived by the legendary ghazal maestro and Padma Bhushan awardee Pankaj Udhas, will once again bring together India’s finest musical talent over two days, continuing its quarter-century-long mission of raising funds for the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) and the Parent’s Association Thalassemic Unit Trust (PATUT).

(L-R) Vishal Bhardwaj, Sudeep Banerji, Rekha Bhardwajm Hariharan, Talat Aziz and Mitali Bhupinder SinghThe festival will have perfromaces by Anup Jalota, Hariharan, Sonu Nigam, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rekha Bhardwaj, Javed Ali, Sudeep Banerji, Madhubanti Bagchi, Sunil Mungee, Aleena Bharti and Tejas Gambhir.

(L-R) Nayaab, Farida and Reva UdhasFROM A CUP OF CHAI TO A 25-YEAR LEGACY Veteran ghazal artiste Talat Aziz, one of Khazana’s three founding members alongside Pankaj Udhas and Anup Jalota, reminisced about the festival’s humble beginnings at the announcement event. “Dekhte dekhte Khazana ke pachees saal guzar gaye, pata hi nahi chala. Safar ki khubsurti, manzil se zyada, uske humsafaron mein hoti hai,” he said, recalling that the idea for Khazana was born over a simple cup of tea shared by the three artistes. What started as an informal conversation has since grown into one of the country’s most anticipated music festivals, a movement that blends timeless poetry and soulful melody with compassion, uniting music lovers, legendary performers, corporate supporters and philanthropists to transform lives through the healing power of music. CARRYING FORWARD A CHERISHED LEGACY Following Pankaj Udhas’s passing, the responsibility of carrying his vision forward has been embraced by his wife, Farida Pankaj Udhas, who now leads PATUT and by his daughters Nayaab and Rewa. “As Khazana celebrates its Silver Jubilee, 25 remarkable years, it stands as a living tribute to the vision, compassion, and enduring legacy of my husband,” she said. “For him, Khazana was never just a music festival; it was a mission of hope... Though he is no longer with us, his spirit continues to resonate in every note of Khazana.” This year’s edition will also pay a special tribute to the iconic Asha Bhosle, honouring the voices that have shaped Khazana’s legacy over the past two and a half decades. SPOTLIGHTING NEW TALENT Adding a fresh dimension to this milestone edition, the ghazal concert will showcase the winners of the Khazana Ghazal Talent Hunt 2026 from across India. The winners include Md Rizwan Ahmed and Ayaan Khan (Male), Sonali Das Natta (Female), Ankit Mishra (Poet Category), and Moksh Kataria, Kuhu Sharma and Pihu Sharma, who received the Padma Bhushan Pankaj Udhas Jury Award in the Kids Category. A TWO-DECADE PARTNERSHIP IN HEALING CPAA and PATUT have worked hand in hand for years to fund treatment for children battling cancer and thalassemia, with Khazana serving as one of their most vital fundraising platforms. Y.K. Sapru, Founder and Chairman of CPAA, called the milestone edition “a celebration of an extraordinary journey where music has become a powerful instrument of healing and hope.” He noted that the collective effort has touched over 10.6 lakh patients through medical, financial and emotional support, screened 4.7 lakh people for cancer, administered 58,000 HPV vaccine doses to young girls, and helped 35,000 families rebuild their lives. He also underlined the scale of the challenge ahead, pointing out that India now ranks third globally in new cancer cases, with over 14.6 lakh diagnoses recorded each year. On the thalassemia front, Farida Udhas highlighted the urgency of PATUT’s work, noting that 10,000 children with Thalassaemia Major are born in India every year, a tenth of the global total, and that one in every eight thalassemia carriers worldwide lives in the country. PATUT’s initiatives span awareness, detection, prevention, donor-donee bone marrow matching, transplant sponsorship for children under ten, and counselling. Over the last eight years, the organisation has focused heavily on Bone Marrow Transplants, successfully completing more than 175 procedures at a cost of Rs 1 lakh per child, in partnership with SRCC Children’s Hospital, Worli, and Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital, Parel. It has also adopted 15 patients for ongoing desferal injection support and, in 2026 alone, has conducted over 500 thalassemia screening tests and more than 25 HLA typing camps in collaboration with DKMS.

MUSIC AS A FORCE FOR GOOD CPAA, a 57-year-old national non-profit, continues to champion the “Total Management of Cancer”, an approach encompassing prevention, early detection, treatment support, rehabilitation and advocacy for underprivileged communities across the country.As Khazana enters its Silver Jubilee year, organisers reaffirmed that all proceeds from the festival will go directly towards the medical treatment, care and rehabilitation of underprivileged cancer patients and thalassemic children, ensuring that, true to its founder’s vision, every ghazal sung continues to carry a message of hope.

The strike will begin at 6am on Monday and continue until 6am on Tuesday.

MUMBAI: Following the alleged assault on doctors, nurses and healthcare staff at Shastri Nagar Municipal Hospital in Dombivli by Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, the state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a 24-hour strike of OPD services.The strike will begin at 6am on Monday and continue until 6am on Tuesday.The IMA said emergency services, intensive care units (ICUs), maternity services and life-saving treatments will remain unaffected. The association has demanded the prosecution of the accused “without any political interference or protection”.The association has also sought amendments to the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010, to make offences under the law cognisable and non-bailable, ensure completion of investigations within 30 to 60 days, and establish fast-track courts for trial of such cases.On Tuesday, a Thane court granted bail to Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting doctors, nurses and other staff members at a civic-run hospital in Dombivli earlier this month. Mhatre was remanded to judicial custody on Monday after the expiry of his police custody. Subsequently, his lawyer moved a bail plea before the court, which was allowed. Opposing the plea, police informed the court that several criminal cases had been registered against Mhatre in the past. Defence counsel A.Y. Patki argued that in most of those cases, Mhatre had either been acquitted or the proceedings had been quashed, and that only one case was currently pending against him. Sources said the 72-year-old corporator was admitted to Thane Civil Hospital after being sent to judicial custody due to health concerns. Suffering from kidney and prostate-related ailments, he was kept under medical supervision instead of being lodged in jail. Reacting to the development, Shiv Sena MP from Kalyan, Shrikant Shinde, said the party had already served a show-cause notice on Mhatre. “Action has been taken against those responsible. No one has been shielded. The police have acted in accordance with the law,” he said. The alleged assault took place on July 6 at Shastri Nagar Municipal Hospital in Dombivli. According to police, Mhatre and his supporters attacked doctors and hospital staff over an alleged delay in the treatment of a pregnant woman. The incident sparked widespread outrage among the medical fraternity and led to a two-day suspension of routine outpatient department (OPD) services at civic-run hospitals across the Kalyan-Dombivli region.