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Shimla hoteliers demand lifting of night curfew for holiday season
The hoteliers have also blamed the state government for the surge in Covid-19 cases and have claimed that the decision to reopen state borders was ill-planned.
Seeking the state government’s help to revive the tourism and hospitality sector during the upcoming holiday season, hoteliers here have demanded relaxation in the night curfew and permission to eateries in Shimla to open on Sundays.
While addressing a press conference here, Shimla Hotel and Restaurant Association president Sanjay Sood said the tourism industry is unquestionably the largest employer and economic activity generator in Himachal, but the state government has not given any relief to the sector. The government employees are getting their salaries and all benefits, while the self-employed businessmen are suffering due to the insensitive decisions of the government, he rued.
He said that the government without taking citizens into confidence imposed the night curfew.
“Maximum tourist activity takes place on Saturdays and Sundays, and by imposing the lockdown on Sundays, the government is only creating hurdles in the economic revival of the indutsry. All establishments, including those where tourists eat and buy essentials from were ordered to be closed on Sundays, causing much inconvenience to them,” said Sanjay.
“Targeting tourists on the Mall Road seems to be a hobby of the administration,” he added.
Sanjay alleged that the administration thinks Mall Road to be the epicentre of the pandemic where scores of policemen are regularly seen bullying the common people. “There is no logic to the draconian step of imposing night curfew and closing all establishments on Sunday as the government has no statistics to prove that the spurt in Covid cases was due to tourists.”
He added that the association has sent figures to the tourism department which show that hardly any tourism-related employees, employers or other staffers have been afflicted with the disease. In Shimla district, there are more positive cases in the suburbs and rural areas than in the main town frequented by the tourists.
“The hotel industry has been fighting for survival during the past many months and was looking forward to the coming tourist season and there is no logic of the night curfew during the peak tourist season of Christmas and New Year,” he said.
The hoteliers have also blamed the state government for the surge in Covid-19 cases and have claimed that the decision to reopen state borders was ill-planned and there was no regulation on the inflow of people.
