To endorse Dharan as a tourist hub and with the aim to promote late night businesses, the local hotel entrepreneurs are now allowed to open their businesses till 11 pm.

At an interaction held by Sunsari Chamber of Commerce on Thursday between the hotel entrepreneurs and various government bodies, the former requested a proposal to open their hotels till 12 am and stressed that opening hotels for 24 hours a day would be even more fruitful to develop Dharan as a tourist hub. 

To the entrepreneurs’ proposal, the local police administration said the former must meet the standards set by the police in regards to maintaining security and peace in the area. 

Speaking at the interaction, Jayaram Shrestha, acting chief of Area Administration Office Dharan, said, “As the hotel entrepreneurs have come up with the proposed time, the sub-metropolitan city, police and the local administration will look into security arrangements and decide whether or not to permit the hotels to open for 24 hours.”

He added, “We cannot immediately allow the hotels to open for 24 hours due to security reasons. There are certain security rules for the police as well as hotel entrepreneurs to follow if the latter want to open their businesses till late at night.” 

Although hotels in Dharan had the permission to remain open only until 10 pm, concerned authorities later allowed the hotels to do business until 11 pm after the local level election and in the run up to the Dashain festival. 

However, local hotel entrepreneurs complained about being harassed by police time and again. “It is difficult to develop Dharan into a tourist hub due to the police’s rude behavior. It is vital for the hotels to provide night service for visitors so as to develop hospitality industry in the city. Though we have the permission to open hotels until 11 pm, police personnel have imprisoned hotel staffs for being minutes late past 11 pm while closing down,” argued tourism entrepreneur Bashudev Baral. 

He added, “Why should we close the hotel at 11pm? Is it because Dharan is unsafe? Why does police misbehave with hoteliers as if we are criminals when we are merely five or ten minutes late to shut the hotels? If this behavior continues, it is impossible to develop hospitality industry in Dharan.”

According to Baral, hotel entrepreneurs must be allowed to open hotels for 24 hours a day in order to develop Dharan into a tourist hub. He said the high headedness and rude behavior on the part of police personnel could contribute in limiting the city into being a transit point.

It is vital for the hotels to provide night service
for visitors so as to develop hospitality industry in the city.

Also speaking at the interaction, Rameshwor Paudel, DSP of District Police Force, Dharan said there were some rules that the entrepreneurs needed to follow if they wanted acceptance of their proposal. He informed, “The hotels should not generate noise pollution, neighbors should not complain about loud noise from the hotels during night time and surveillance cameras should be installed at hotels for security. Hotels must have parking space and there should be a provision of security guards.”

He added that if hotel entrepreneurs managed to follow such set standards, the police administration would have no issue in allowing the businesses to open until wee hours. 

Stating that efforts from the police department alone would not be wnough to maintain peace and security in the society, Paudel urged the hotel entrepreneurs as well as public to come hand-in-hand with the police force. He also urged zero tolerance for violence and noise pollution. 
Similarly, Shivaraj Shrestha, general secretary of Sunsari Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “We will definitely follow the set of rules and regulations regarding security while doing business at night.”

On the occasion, Mayor of Dharan Metropolitan City, Tara Subba, conceded the hotel entrepreneurs’ opinion and pledged to advocate for their proposal in order to protect the entrepreneurs’ right to do business and develop Dharan into a tourist hub.