About fifteen minutes before the clock strikes 12 a.m., motorists and pedestrians near the DLF street food outlets hear the police siren. It sends the food vendors scurrying to serve the last-minute orders and clean up the place before putting up the shutters.
By ten minutes past midnight, the bustling one-kilometre stretch goes silent and dark, with multiple patrolling vans taking turns to ensure that the 200-odd stalls stay shut. Those making a trip to the DLF road in Gachibowli for quick bite in the teeth-chattering cold can be seen taking a U-turn in disappointment.
Regulars in the area believed that the 12 a.m. closure norm would end with the lifting of the election Model Code of Conduct. “Our post-work 1 a.m. chai time meet up is now 11.30 p.m., says Sai Krishna, who works for an MNC at the end of the stretch.
