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Cancellations mount: Second Covid wave hits Mohali’s banquet hall owners hard
Owners decry losses, sea of cancellations during peak wedding season; say that many businesses have been forced to shut down
The second spike in Covid-19 cases has affected the wedding business the most, with owners of banquet halls decrying complete losses and a sea of cancellations during one of their peak seasons.
A maximum of only 10 people are allowed to attend weddings, which has taken away all the business from the banquet hall owners in Zirakpur.
As per Rajiv Chhabra, owner of AKM Resorts in Zirakpur, the period between April 24 and May 24 every year is usually peak wedding season for resorts, but now they have had to cancel all bookings: “Rather than bring 10 people to a resort, people are cancelling the weddings or opting for hotels in Panchkula or Chandigarh. We have been facing similar hardships since March 2020 and many resorts are shutting down because of shortage of funds.”
Parvinder Singh, who runs Nimantran Banquet halls in Dhakoli, said, “Giving refunds to people isn’t easy. We had already paid the money to caterers and decorators, so we had to pay people out of our own pockets. Considering how the situation has worsened, people don’t know how long it will take for things to improve.”
Samuel Massey, who runs Sohi Banquets in Zirakpur, added, “The government needs to look out for banquet hall owners. We employed a lot of people who we have had to let go. Some concession in the taxes we pay or in the electricity and water bills will be welcome.”
Even though some marriage ceremonies have gone over to the hotels in Chandigarh, the hospitality units are still struggling. President of the Chandigarh Restaurants and Hotels Association, Arvinder Pal Singh, said, “We have had a lot of cancellations as well because of the 6pm lockdown rule. We can host only one marriage party per day, but only up to 50 people are allowed to attend.”
Apart from banquet hall owners, the Chandigarh Tent Dealers Society is also reporting losses. Chief adviser Anil Vohra said, “Lockdown means all our bookings get cancelled and have to be refunded. It would be tough doing this again this year and some of the smaller tent houses are likely to shut down if things don’t improve.”
