Hotel owners pledge support to Anna

HUBLI: Thursday's bandh call given by the Hubli Hotel Owners' Association in support of activist Anna Hazare's fight for a strong Lokpal bill received good response.
Almost all small hotels and restaurants and roadside tea stalls were shut during the day. However, lodging facility in big hotels including Anant Executive, Anant Residency, Naveen Hotel and Krishna Bhavan was open and also food service was provided to in-house guests.
Sudhakar Shetty, general secretary of Hubli Hotel Owners' Association said all hotels extended maximum support to the bandh.
Meanwhile, around 700 hotel owners and staff who took part in a procession formed a human chain and blocked the K C Circle bringing traffic to a grinding halt for about half an hour.
Sudhakar Shetty said that 520 hotels in city that have registered with the association and an equal number of small restuarants and tea stalls had joined the procession.
He said hotel owners are one of the most affected by the evil of corruption. "We need to grease palms to get every work done in government and corporation offices," he said.