Chandigarh Hotel Association Chairman hopes hotels would open soon, seeks government help

Hoping that hotels will be allowed to open soon, Manmohan S Kohli, Chairman of Chandigarh Hotel Association, on Friday said that somebody has to pay the bill for the loss people associated with hotel services have suffered during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

"For the loss we have suffered during the lockdown, somebody has to pay the bill. But, nobody, not even the government wants to pay for the loss. That gap needs to be filled. Now, we are hoping that hotels will be allowed to open soon," Kohli told .

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had on Sunday in its Lockdown 4.0 guidelines stated that hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services, except those engaged in the battle against COVID-19, will remain closed in view of the lockdown that has been extended till May 31.

Kohli said the big question before every entrepreneur is if they can raise more loan, as they fear that things can go worse than this due to COVID-19.

"Hotels are still closed. I would never like to challenge the wisdom of the government. They know better than us. We must realise that any loss to us is a bigger loss for the government. The question now is how the government is going to revive the economy," he said.

"Government's approach is that you can take loans to restore business. But the question before the entrepreneur is 'Can I raise more loan?' as they fear that things can go worse than this. If the government had given loan at a very low-interest rate then things would have come to normal. If the government wants to help me, I am happy to accept their help but do not make me pay more by giving loans. Take collaterals, but do not ask me to give you interest. This is the time to invest in the economy without thinking of the returns," he added.

Earlier, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced Rs 3 lakh crore collateral-free automatic loans for businesses, including MSMEs.

The announcements came a day after the Prime Minister announced a Rs 20 lakh crore economic stimulus package for the country fighting the coronavirus.

( With inputs from ANI )