Shortage of labourers leaves hotel owners in soup

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, June 10, 2020:  Hotel owners faced a shortage of labourers when they opened the hotels after a gap of 77 days in Mangaluru on Monday. Even the number of customers who visited the hotels were minimal.

 

There are more than 500 hotels in Dakshina Kannada district with more than 30,000 labourers working in them. However, labourers from Udupi, Karkala, Kundapura and Moodbidri are refusing to return to work fearing the spread of Covid-19.

A majority of the labourers working in hotels offering Chinese and North Indian cuisines may not return soon. Even if they arrive, they have to remain quarantined for 14 days.

Further, several labourers, who returned to their native places during lockdown, are not interested to return to urban areas to work.

“I have been running a hotel in Surathkal for the last several years. All the labourers were paid two months salary during the lockdown. Now, they are not eager to come back for work as they have found some alternative jobs near to their houses,” said a hotel owner, who is now helpless without the labourers to work.

Further, a number of visitors to the hotels too have declined due to closure of schools and colleges, and lack of tourists. Many hotels have given priority to take-away services as well. Depending on the demand from customers, by taking all precautionary measures, we will provide services in the hotels, said DK District Hotel Owners’ Association President Kudpi Jagadeesh Shenoy to DH.

“Lockdown has helped me to cultivate healthy eating habits. Even after reopening of the hotels, I am hesitant to go to restaurants as I have a four-year-old son,” said Naeem Soofi, who used to frequently have food in hotels.

Though malls in Mangaluru were open, not many people visited it. Customers had to decide on the time slot for visiting the Forum Mall by logging onto the mall’s website—forummalls.in.

Courtesy:Deccan Herald