Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray issued an order on Monday in which it allowed 4 lakh restaurant, bars and eatery outlets in the state to start their operations from the first week of October, just ahead of Navaratri starting October 17. The decision was made after a meeting between industry organisations and the CM.
The order will help the hospitality industry to regain normalcy which was affected due to lockdown. It was struggling to get back to normal since unlocking has began in phases. Among them 40% are surviving on home deliveries, the majority of employees in these establishments have gone back to native places and have refused to return till vaccine arrives.
The decision likely to benefit 60 lakh direct employees and 1.8 crore indirect employees who are into cultivation and supply of agro, dairy, hatcheries and all other commodities that are consumed in large numbers at these establishments.
The meeting was held between Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI)and AHAR. The industry generates around Rs 18000 cr revenue with majority in the form of excise and other local body licenses and fees. They have resolved to restart at 50% capacity in order to obey the government norms for social distancing.
Sherry Bhatia, President, (HRAWI), “We thank the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who today assured us that Restaurants will be allowed to reopen in the first week of October 2020. The Hon. CM has also agreed to favourably consider HRAWI’s petition for the waiver of excise license fees for a period of 6 months, the duration for which establishments were required to be kept shut. Also, the deadline for deferment of payments towards the first installment of the Excise Licence fee has been extended to 30th September”.