Reopening of restaurants demanded

Complains of financial loss

RAWALPINDI:

The representative body of restaurateurs has demanded to reopen restaurants and hotels as it complained of financial sufferings. A delegation of Rawalpindi Inter-Hotel Association led by President Sheikh Abdul Waheed met with the Rawalpindi Commissioner Muhammad Mehmood on Saturday. The president said that the hotels and restaurants were shut down three months ago due to the coronavirus lockdown. Owing to this, he added, the financial condition of restaurateurs was deteriorating every passing day. Waheed informed that thousands of people working as staff in the hotels and restaurants have lost their jobs while the owners are also in a dilemma as most of them have hired the buildings on rentals. Due to zero revenue for the past three months, it has been extremely difficult for them to pay monthly rentals and utility bills, Waheed informed the commissioner. Therefore, he demanded the government to announce the reopening of hotels and restaurants under standard operating procedures (SOPs). Responding to this, the commissioner assured the delegation that their problems were near to resolution.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2020.