Saying that night curfew imposed by Himachal Pradesh government in four districts of the state till December 15, 2020 to contain the spread of Covid 19 will completely destroy the tourism of Himachal which is struggling for survival and revival, the hoteliers demanded relaxation for tourists during curfew hours.
Hoteliers said travel time from Delhi to Manali is more than 14 hours and it will be impossible for tourists to reach Manali before curfew time. They said they are with government in its fight against Coronavirus but either government should think about problems that tourists will face due to night curfew or it should impose full lockdown so that they shut their hotels till March 31.
The Federation of Himachal Hotel & Restaurant Associations (FOHHRA), a confederation of 20 city Associations representing the tourism industry, condemning the decision, has urged the government to review the decision so that it doesn’t jeopardise the tourism business and industry.
The state government has imposed additional restrictions on movement of people and vehicles in the form of a night curfew in four districts of Manali, Shimla, Kullu and Kangra from 8pm to 6am starting from November 24, till December 15, 2020. Other than emergency services, no other movement of people or vehicles will be permitted during the curfew period in these four districts. Inter-state buses will only be allowed to operate with 50% capacity in the state till December 15. The government through the revised order also brought in amendments to the holding public, social functions as well.
“We condemn this decision of the government to impose night curfew. It is the government which is the culprit for the total mismanagement of the situation in Himachal Pradesh,” said Ashwani Bamba, President of FOHHRA.
He said that the spike in cases was not because of tourism but because of the mismanagement of the government. But, the tourism sector will be paying the price for the knee-jerk reaction of the government. Bamba said that the decision will be a heavy blow to the tourism industry which has been trying to survive and revive without any government support.
The President of Shimla Hotel & Restaurant Association(SHRA) and Vice President of FOHHRA, Sanjay Sood also criticised the government decision to impose night curfew in four districts which are quite important for tourism in the state. “We don’t understand the logic behind the decision. Is Covid 19 virus confined to these four districts? This is certainly going to kill the industry in the State. It was with great difficulty the tourism industry has been trying to revive the sector in the state even in the absence of any help or support from the government. The government keeps on doing such negative things which are hurting the industry and the economy more and more,” he said.
Source : Economictimes
