Hotels down shutters in Kochi, people affected

Hundreds of people went hungry as restaurants remained closed on Wednesday as part of the 24-hour statewide strike called by the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA).

The token strike was called to protest the increase in commercial LPG cylinder prices.

Hotel owners closed their outlets, staged protest marches and staged dharnas in front of oil companies and central government institutions across the state. The march and dharna, held at the IOC office at Panampilly Nagar in Kochi, was inaugurated by KHRA State President G. Jayapal.

Expressing their regret for the inconvenience experienced by the public due to the strike, association officials said that this decision was taken to draw the attention of the public and the government to the issue.

Mr. Jayapal said the fact that all hotels, restaurants and roadside eateries remain closed indicates the dire situation the industry is heading towards.

Hoteliers also stated that they are not keen on increasing food prices and placing the burden on the public. “We want the prices to drop to a little less than half of what was announced. Otherwise, it would be almost impossible to move forward in the industry,” Mr. Jayapal said.

VT Hariharan, Ernakulam district president of the association, said the symbolic strike was aimed at bringing the issue to the notice of the government. “We hope the government will take notice of the issue and make changes. If the price hikes are not rolled back, we will have to increase the prices of food items even if we don’t want to,” Mr. Hariharan said.

KB Sasi, restaurant owner and president of KHRA’s Perumbavoor unit, said a price hike of over ₹1,000 has been seen in the last three months. “Earlier, the increase would have been ₹100 or ₹200. But this time, it was a short jump of only ₹7 of ₹1,000. This is worrying as we will not be able to sustain the business if cylinder prices increase like this,” he added.

torch light show

Meanwhile, the All Kerala Food Suppliers Association (AKCA) is preparing to stage a state-wide protest and kitchen closure strike against the price hike. As part of the strike, a lantern demonstration will be held from Vanchi Square to Menaka Junction on Thursday evening. Authorities announced that catering and kitchen establishments will hold protests in front of regional and Central government institutions on Friday, demanding the reversal of the price hikes.