Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Apr 26: As the entire country is facing lockdown because of COVID-19 threat, hoteliers and traders in Katra-the base camp of Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine, are apprehensive of no pilgrimage to the world famous shrine for at least one year till complete normalization of the situation all over India and hence have demanded a special package for them.
“In absence of pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine, the Katra businessmen are all set to witness zero business for at least an year and hence the Government must come forward to the rescue of those associated with hotel, trade and allied industries here,” they said while urging Government to waive off fixed electricity charges, re-imbursement of GST and a financial package for them.
According to Rakesh Wazir, chairman of Hotels and Restaurants Association, Katra business is suffering a loss of around Rs 12-13 crores per day because of the ongoing lockdown and no pilgrimage, which was suspended since March 20. This includes per day losses by hotels and restaurants (more than Rs 3 crores), dry fruit shops (around Rs 2 crores), handicraft (around Rs 2 crores) travel agencies (more than Rs 25 lakh) and allied industries.
“Even if the lockdown is lifted here after May 3 and the restrictions are relaxed, there will be no pilgrimage to the cave shrine till situation across the entire country comes to normal and the same is likely to take at least one year,” said Shiv Kumar Sharma while justifying some package exclusively for the Katra businessmen.
Highlighting the plights of the shopkeepers selling dry fruit and handicraft items, Manav Sadotra said that they were heading towards huge losses because of no pilgrimage. “As the pilgrimage is unlikely to resume in the next few months, we are left with no option other than to shift the dry fruit stocks to cold stores in Jammu, which will multiply its cost price thus leading to huge losses to us,” he said.
As per another businessman Rajesh Sadotra, maximum of the hoteliers have taken loans from banks, which have deferred EMI for three months, but it was not sufficient to compensate their losses. “Government needs to waive off fixed electricity charge of the hotels, which are lying virtually closed since the announcement of lockdown while the EMI should be deferred for at least one year as the pilgrimage is unlikely to resume fully in the next couple of months,” he said.
Another businessman Varun Magotra said that hoteliers and traders were finding it difficult to pay salary to their workers because of zero business. For ensuring that the poor workers in hotels, restaurants and shops may not suffer, some mechanism should be evolved under which a certain share of the salary may be contributed by the Government and the employer ,” he suggested.
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