Nagpur police tighten rules on OYO room bookings, Bawankule praises commissioner

The state government may bring in new rules for OYO's fast-growing online hotel and room booking service. Nagpur police commissioner Vishwas Nangare Patil has already taken steps in this direction. Speaking to the media on the matter, Nagpur's guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule gave key information suggesting further tightening of rules on OYO in the coming days.

Bawankule said people keep coming and going at places like OYO, and that he had discussed this with the police commissioner and the chief minister. He said both had taken the matter seriously. He congratulated Vishwas Nangare Patil for preparing a good set of rules. According to Bawankule, it will now be mandatory to keep a complete record of every person who visits an OYO hotel. It will also be compulsory to preserve CCTV footage for up to 90 days.

The guardian minister also said that in Nagpur, an OYO board can be seen behind every two hotels, and it is necessary to check exactly why such a board has been put up. He said police will now keep close watch on OYO everywhere. Bawankule said Vishwas Nangare Patil had taken care to see that the district's cultural and social traditions are not undermined, and praised him for this. It is not yet clear whether the rules being implemented in Nagpur will apply to OYO's room booking service across the entire state; this remains to be seen in the coming days.

In the same conversation, Bawankule also gave his views on the issue of Manoj Jarange Patil. He said that at present, the drought situation in the state is a more important issue than what Manoj Jarange Patil does or his role. He said that when protests take place in Mumbai, they create law and order difficulties for Mumbai's residents. Citing Bombay High Court rulings, Bawankule said everyone should ensure that law and order in Mumbai is not disturbed. He requested all agitators in the state that holding protests in Mumbai at this time is not in the state's interest. He also said that the criticism being directed at Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis is not going down well with Maharashtra and society.