KHRA urges Centre to resolve LPG crisis, warns of protest

The Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association (KHRA) has warned of strong protests, including a march to Parliament, unless the Central government resolves the LPG crisis by June 1.

The decision was taken at the State committee meeting of KHRA held here on Thursday (May 14). The association also decided to approach the Union government once more with its demands. “The Union government is feigning ignorance about the crisis faced by hotels and restaurants,” alleged KHRA State president G. Jayapal and general secretary N. Abdul Razak in a release issued here.

The prices of gas and other essentials have risen sharply. This has left the hotel sector struggling to survive. A majority of hotels in the State will be forced to shut down if the situation continues. The association said it was unacceptable that the hotel industry is being made to bear the burden of the domestic sector, which consumes 85% of cooking gas. Even small tea shops using just one cylinder a day are incurring an additional expense of around ₹1,000 daily.

At the same time, it is not possible to increase the prices of food items served in hotels beyond a certain limit, the release added.