Industry body urges Maharashtra govt to reconsider latest restrictions on restaurants

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New Delhi: Apex industry body Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) on April 14 said that the latest restrictions imposed by the Maharashtra government on the restaurants in the state have devastated the hospitality industry, while urging it to reconsider the decision.

Reeling under an unprecedented COVID-19 wave, the Maharashtra government on April 13 announced severe, curfew-like restrictions on public movement over the next 15 days across the state.

“Permitted to operate for only takeaway and delivery services, restaurants see imminent collapse of business within the fortnight,” the FHRAI said in a statement.

With the latest ‘Break The Chain’ order, at least more than 30% of restaurants will shut down completely, it said, adding that already approximately 35% of the hotels and restaurants remain shut in the state due to financial stress related to loss incurred after the first lockdown, it added.

The association has “once again requested the government to reconsider the restrictions imposed on restaurants and allow them to operate for dine-in services while following all the SOPs even if within the limited permissible times, the statement said.

The FHRAI has appealed to the state government to compensate employees engaged in the industry and their families for the loss of income, and also support hoteliers and restaurateurs by waiving all statutory fees, taxes and utility bills, FHRAI Vice President Gurbaxish Singh Kohli said. The hospitality industry understands the seriousness of the issue and the limitations that the government is facing in its war against the pandemic, he added.

“We too want the spread to come under control and put this bad phase behind us. But in our attempts to accomplish this, if we are going to disrupt an entire sector and the livelihoods of millions of people dependent on it then we are defeating the very purpose of such a decision,” Kohli said.

For the sake of all who are dependent on restaurants for their livelihoods and also for those, “who rely on us for a decent place to eat with safety and dignity, we once again appeal to the government to reconsider its decision and allow us to operate for dine-in services”, he added.