A delegation of AHAR (Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association), the apex body of the industry, led by President Shivanand Shetty met the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at his residence Varsha on waiver of BMC licence fees during the lockdown period and easy instalment payment of Excise licence fees.
Moreover, AHAR also appraised the Chief Minister about the steps it has taken to support the government in its fight against COVID-19.
Commenting on this meeting, Shivanand Shetty said, “The CM has assured his support and personal attention to the issues raised and how it can be resolved in the best interest of the industry. We also informed him as to how we have formed 40 squads of four members each to maintain vigil at restaurants and ensure SOPs are followed to make restaurants more safe place to visit.”
The meeting was also attended by Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Excise Minister Dilip Walse Patil, Anil Parab, Sunil Prabhu and Principal Secretary Valsa Nair Singh.
This comes days after Uddhav Thackeray issued a warning to the citizens to not force him to impose a state-wide lockdown amid continuous spike in the coronavirus cases. Speaking at a virtual meeting attended by representatives of hotel and restaurant associations, shopping centre groups, the CM ordered them state to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols in their premises like mandatory face masks and social distancing.
The meeting was called in the backdrop of reports that several malls and hotels had failed to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.
Last year, the industry was badly hit by the COVID-induced lockdown which lasted for more than seven months resulting in many restaurants closing down forever. So, need of the hour is coming together and ensuring that a second lockdown is not imposed, said AHAR in its statement.
“We share the concern voiced by the CM on the spike in coronavirus cases and his views on how as a responsible industry association we can support in its fight against it. With due respect to this, we have formed the squads within our association and will go all out in ensuring the industry SOPs are followed thoroughly across our restaurants. The industry can’t afford to have another lockdown and we will not spare anyone found violating any of the SOPs.”
Also Read: BMC fines 245 people in a restaurant in Breach Candy area for flouting COVID-19 norms
AHAR has 10 zones spread across Greater Mumbai and each zone is headed by a Vice President. The squad members have been made aware of the SOPs and how they need to ensure it is implemented. They are empowered to report to the concerned Government authorities, in case any member restaurant is found to be flouting the SOPs after repeated requests.
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