Banquets closure brings owners, workers to streets in Punjab

Protesters say SOPs will be implemented if govt allows business

LAHORE: Following the failure of dialogue with the government, banquet hall owners and employees have taken to the streets in protest against the forced closure of their businesses owing to the coronavirus lockdown.

A large number of representatives, including owners, employees and suppliers, of marriage and banquet halls, staged a protest in front of the Lahore Press Club on Saturday. They were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the government and prolonged lockdown. They also chanted slogans against the government and demanded permission to open their businesses.

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Speaking to The Express Tribune, Lahore Marriage Hall Association President Mian Ilyas highlighted that the marriage and banquet halls were ready to implement all the standard operating procedures (SOP) announced by the government.

In fact, he pointed out, office-bearers of their association have voluntarily submitted a set of SOPs, which includes installation of sanitisation walkthrough tunnels, provision of hand sanitisers and face masks to the guests, 50% reduction in guests’ occupancy and minimum 5ft distance between seats, to Punjab Minister for Industries, Trade and Investment Mian Aslam Iqbal in a recent meeting.

Ilyas said there were around 10,000 marriage and banquet halls across Punjab. Conservative estimates indicated that around 700,000 families or 3.5 million population is earning their livelihood from this sector. The hospitality sector offers employment opportunities to both skilled and unskilled labour force. But owing to coronavirus lockdown right now this sector is struggling for its survival, he maintained.

“The government has recently recommended to the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to allow restaurants to open their businesses. Earlier, restaurants were allowed to keep their take-away services operational during the lockdown. But the government ordered marriage and banquet halls to close their business on March 14,” he said.

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A local banquet hall owner, Malik Ali Muhammad, said the government has opened industry, markets, shopping malls, offices and public transport. Even it has given green signal to restaurants which have limited seating capacity and are hard to regulate in comparison with banquet halls.

Another, marriage hall owner, Muhammad Saleem, appealed to the government to permit banquet halls to function. This prolonged lockdown has broken the backbone of this sector which was not only providing thousands of jobs but also pulling trade of other sectors, like poultry, fish, meat, rice, fruit and vegetables. People have invested billions of rupees in this sector and it is providing earning opportunities for uneducated and semi-literate youth. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2020.