The District Administration Office Morang has directed hotels, restaurants, clubs, discos and other night-time entertainment businesses in Viratnagar to close their gates by 10 pm, with all customers required to leave by 10:30 pm. Reported on November 2, 2026, the order also bars venues from admitting anyone after 10 pm. Chief Minister Karki has strongly objected to the administration’s directive, which is intended to control night-time activities and make entertainment businesses more organised and accountable.
What the directive requires
The order sets out two deadlines for businesses covered by the directive. First, venues must shut their gates by 10 pm and stop allowing customers to enter after that time. Second, customers already inside must leave the premises by 10:30 pm. The half-hour difference between the two times gives businesses a defined period to clear their premises after entry has stopped; it does not permit continued admission after 10 pm.
The directive applies to a range of businesses in Viratnagar, including hotels, restaurants, clubs and discos, as well as other establishments involved in night-time entertainment. Its terms are not limited to a single type of venue. The administration’s stated aim, according to the reports, is to bring night-time activities under greater control and make businesses operating at night more organised and accountable.
The distinction between closing the gate and clearing customers is central to the order. Businesses are required to prevent new arrivals after 10 pm, while ensuring that those already on the premises have left by 10:30 pm. In effect, the order establishes an entry cut-off and a separate time by which customer presence must end. It therefore addresses both admission to venues and how late customers may remain inside them.
Chief Minister Karki objects
Chief Minister Karki has strongly objected to the administration’s order. The disagreement places the directive under scrutiny even as the administration has set out its restrictions for hotels and other night-time businesses in Viratnagar. The reports identify Karki’s opposition but do not provide further details about his reasons or any proposed alternative arrangement.
The objection comes amid a measure framed by the administration around control, organisation and accountability in night-time entertainment. The directive, as described in reports by Nepal Press and Nagarik News, establishes the operating cut-off, but the available details do not set out how the order will be enforced or what consequences businesses could face for failing to comply.
Scope and next steps
For businesses affected by the order, the two times create a clear sequence: stop admitting customers by 10 pm, then ensure all customers have departed by 10:30 pm. The no-entry rule means a venue cannot treat the later departure deadline as permission to continue bringing people inside. Hotels, restaurants, clubs, discos and other night-time entertainment businesses are all named in the directive’s reported scope.
The reports do not specify how long the order will remain in force, whether exceptions will be made for particular businesses, or what enforcement arrangements the administration has put in place. Nor do they provide further details about discussions between the administration and the chief minister. For now, the directive’s stated requirements are the 10 pm gate-closing and entry cut-off, followed by the 10:30 pm deadline for customers to leave. The objection from Karki signals disagreement over the order, while the administration’s stated purpose remains to regulate night-time activity and improve organisation and accountability among businesses in Viratnagar.
