Puri: The Puri Hotel Owners’ Association sought Thursday the approval of the district administration to reopen hospitality services. Hotels here in this pilgrim city have remained closed since the imposition of lockdown March 25.
The economy of this tourist spot has taken a huge jolt due to the coronavirus outbreak. With no tourists, hotels and restaurants have remained closed, with the owners suffering huge losses. However, it is not just the proprietors who have suffered. Thousands of others who are related to this industry have taken the brunt of lockdown. Many have lost jobs and most have failed to earn anything in the last couple of months with all related services closed.
“Both directly and indirectly, the hospitality industry contributes substantially to the economy of Puri district as well as Odisha. With hotels closed for more than two months now, economy has virtually collapsed. A large number of families are without any income. Unless hotels and restaurants are allowed to open, there will be a catastrophe,” association chief Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra said. “We should be allowed to do business following coronavirus guidelines. The Odisha government has initiated the process of restoring normalcy, So hotels in this pilgrim city should be allowed to operate,” he added.
Notably, the central government has introduced relaxations in the fourth phase of lockdown, in order to boost the economy. Inter-state transport systems including flights and trains have resumed services in a restricted manner. There have been a large number of people travelling just to return to their native or work places.
PNN