Chandigarh puts a clock on its nightlife

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As the UT administration proposes a midnight entry cut-off and 1 am closure, the City Beautiful’s late-night culture faces scrutiny amid concerns over drugs and disorder

Chandigarh, September 27

For a city that likes to sleep late, 1 am could soon become an unexpectedly early bedtime.

The proposed curbs on nightclub timings have put Chandigarh’s nightlife under fresh scrutiny. Under the proposed framework, entry to clubs would stop at midnight, with establishments allowed another hour to complete billing and wind up operations.

The move comes amid an intensified anti-drug campaign in the city. According to figures shared by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, 118 FIRs were registered and 120 people arrested between September 11 and September 23 during the campaign. On September 21 alone, 17 FIRs were registered, 17 people arrested and 327.104 gm of heroin recovered.

Kataria, speaking at the launch of the Chandigarh Police’s anti-drug helpline on September 23, said the drug problem “is not only a law and order issue”, as it affects the health, education, employment, families and future of young people. He called for strict action against those pushing people towards drugs.

It is against this backdrop that the administration has sought to put a limit on how late the city’s clubs can operate. Some establishments have reportedly remained open until 3 am or 4 am, prompting concerns over late-night drug activity and disorder.

Under the proposed arrangement, customers would have to enter before midnight, while club management would get an additional hour to settle bills and close. The administration has also proposed the closer scrutiny of activities inside clubs, including dance floors and lounges, to prevent them from being used for drug supply or related activities.

But beyond the clock lies a larger question about the city’s relationship with the night.

Chandigarh has long had a nightlife of its own. Its clubs, pubs and lounges have become part of the city’s social life, particularly at weekends, when dinner can turn into drinks, drinks into music and music into a night that was never meant to end at midnight.

That rhythm is now being asked to change.

For those who work in the nightlife economy, an earlier closing time means shorter hours. For the administration, it creates another point of control. For residents, it could mean quieter streets after midnight.

For Chandigarh itself, it may mark a change in a culture that has long treated the late night as part of its social calendar.

The music may stop earlier. Whether the problems do too will be the real measure of the new clock.