CONSIDERING the rising COVID cases, Government of Maharashtra has imposed lockdown on restaurants along with other non-essential shops for the month of April, wherein restaurants are only permitted online sale from 7 am to 8 pm. This situation caused immense financial and economic pressure on the hospitality industry. This has resulted in Hotel and Restaurant Association - Western India (HRAWI), Association of Hotel and Restaurant (AHAR), National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) coming together and forming United Hospitality Forum of Maharashtra (UFHM). Accordingly a call for silent protest as the first step under ‘Mission Rozi Roti’ was initiated by UFHM.

 

The newly formed Forum asked restaurant and hotel owners along with their staff to assemble outside their establishments, maintain proper distancing with masks, hold placards and posters to protest against the State Government imposed lockdown. Nagpur Residential Hotels Association (NRHA) supported this silent protest and members of NRHA in large numbers participated along with Nagpur Eatery Owners Association. Apart from this, Hotel Association Nagpur protested silently by standing with placards and posters in front of their establishment. Tejinder Singh Renu, President of NRHA said, “The restaurant owners are facing extreme financial crunch as even the timing of online food sales permitted by the State Government is absolutely illogical. Even when restaurants were permitted to remain open, they were asked to close at 7 pm. How can any restaurant survive in such illogical timings when the main business is during dinner time.”

 

Renu further said, “Another unfortunate part is the step motherly treatment compared to rest of Maharashtra, wherein restaurants are asked to close online food sales, while Mumbai is permitted to carry online food delivery 24 hours. Our staff is equally worried and many are opting to seek jobs in neighbouring States.” Renu cautioned the State Government and administration that the patience of members are on verge of collapsing. “It’s highly recommended that some logical relaxations are granted to the hospitality sector to avoid elevated protests ahead,” he further added.