Owners of residential hotels, restaurants, sweetmeat shops and bakeries have been facing dire financial straits over coronavirus infection in four upazilas of Chuadanga district.
Appeal to the concerned authorities to run these establishments from 9 am to 8 pm for recovering loss and urged upon the government to give incentive (so called pronodona), president and general secretary of these malik samity added.
On March 8 coronavirus patient was detected in Bangladesh. From March 26 general leave was enjoyed all over country.
As a result hotels for food, residential, sweetmeats shops, restaurants, and bakeries were closed for coronavirus from March 8 to May 14 in the district. The owners of the establishments allowed their staffs to stay at home for maintaining social distance that period.
It is learnt that a total of 200 restaurants, bakeries and 16 residential hotels are in the district. The staffs are 4000. All staffs stayed at home. But they were paid monthly salary by the hoteliers. On the other hand land lords of the establishments have been taking monthly rent from them.
Of the total hotels 100 restaurants, sweetmeat shops and bakeries are in Chuadanga Sadar upazila, 50 in Alamdanga, 20 in Jibannagar and 30 in Damurhuda.
It may be mentioned here that 10 residential hotels are in Sadar upazila, 1 in Alamdanga upazila, 4 in Damurhuda upazila and 1 in Jibannagar upazila.
Mr. Arif, owner of Bhojon Bilas, a well known hotel in Chuadanga district town, said he pays his staffs salary and rent to landlord at tk. 30000 monthly. Due to shortage of consumers cooking has been stopped, but parcel orders are supplied.
Tohibur Rahman Joader Babu, general secretary of Hotel, Restaurant, Bakery O Mistannow Malik Samity told the Bangladesh Post that restaurants are opened here from 9 am to 8 pm, sweetmeat shops and bakeries are from 9 am to 6 pm.
We are requesting the concerned authorities to run all these establishments from 9 am to 8 pm.
He also said that a few number of people are coming in the district and upazila towns for completing their necessary works. Many of them do not take any kind of food and meal from restaurants and sweetmeat shops in fearing of coronavirus.
Owners of these establishments are facing now financial loss over COVID-19 in Chuadanga district. If government extends their hands for grant some amount to the owners of the establishment as incentive (pronodona), he said.
Mahbubur Rahman Mukul, President of the Samity said we are running our business with loss. Customers are not enough. But we are paying salary of staffs, rent of landlords and other charges.
Md. Shahidul Islam, District Marketing Officer said the marketing department is regularly monitoring all sectors of markets in the district according to the existing law of government.
