BHUBANESWAR: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) has urged the Centre for long term measures to save the hotel industry from sinking further due to Covid crisis.
In a letter to Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, HRAO chairman JK Mohanty said although hotels have been allowed to run with 30 per cent capacity, there is no occupancy as people are scared to travel by trains and flights. While the hotels are facing the crisis due to the pandemic, the industry will take a longer time to pick up than other sectors, he said.
The hoteliers said they have not yet received any relief either from the Centre or the State Government inspite of their repeated appeals explaining the miserable condition.
Earlier, the Centre had asked the states to extend the relief provided to public sector undertakings and urban body on excise license fee for hotels and resorts, relaxation on electricity charges as well as fixed costs charges and waiver of interest on interest on the moratorium period issued by the Reserve Bank of India.
‘Declare Rath Yatra as national holiday’
Odisha Cultural Circle (OCC) has appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce national holiday on the day of Rath Yatra to enable people from across the country to congregate and seek the blessing of the almighty.
OCC chairman JK Mohanty said declaration of the holiday will boost the tourism industry as devotees from across the country can come to Puri to take part in the annual festival. "Steps should be taken for wide publicity of the festival across the globe," he added.