Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 10: All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association (AJHLA) has demanded the Government to waive off water and power charges of hotels and lodges and sought an instant relief package for the revival of dying hotel industry.
In a video conferencing held today under the chairmanship of Inderjeet Khajuria, the office bearers of the Association expressed concern over the plight of hoteliers after the unlock 1.0 during which they have been pushed to innumerable hardships rather than any respite.
Pawan Gupta, president of the association, expressed disappointment on ignoring the tourism sector completely from the purview of any relief package by the Government. Stating that the condition of hotel industry has worsened after unlock 1.0 due to zero trade activity and usual daily expenditure of electricity, water, municipal charges, sanitization, masks, staff, etc, he asserted on the need of Government assistance for its survival.
“In terms of income earning during post lockdown, hotel industry is going to meet the same fate as its other tourist fraternity members like dry fruit, shawl, handicraft dealers, travel agents, tour operators who have started closure of their premises for an indefinite period due to prevailing nil business activity and huge daily expenditure,” he added.
Gupta said that in order to save the dying hotel industry from extinction, the Association appealed the Government to come to their rescue by immediately waiving off electricity, water, municipal charges and give a very special instant relief package on the same pattern as given in the year 2003 during the regime of former Prime Minister, late Atal Behari Vajpayee, for the revival of hotel industry.
Office bearers who attended the video conference include H S Manhas, Anil Khajuria, Pritam Sharma, Baldev Raj, Sunil Suri, Swarn Singh, Sankul Gupta, Manpreet Singh and ML Sharma.
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