Hotel shutdown hits Kochi hard

Kochi: A vast majority of food establishments in the district remained shut on Wednesday as part of a 24-hour strike called by the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA), leaving travellers, PG residents and daily workers struggling to find food."The shutdown was complete across the state and the district in particular. Almost all hotel, restaurant and teashop owners cooperated fully. This strike was a desperate response to the escalating cost of commercial LPG, a primary overhead that is pushing the industry to a breaking point," said KHRA president G Jayapal.The closure was sweeping in its reach, from high-end dining establishments in central Kochi to the Indira Canteen and the corporation-run Samridhi@Kochi budget initiative, which caters to the urban poor. "Even these govt-supported outlets joined the shutdown, reflecting the severity of the financial strain. Nearly 5,000 hotels in the district were shut down. We regret the inconvenience caused to the public," said Shibin Mani, KHRA's Ernakulam unit representative.Travellers, PG residents and daily workers bore the brunt of the disruption. "We arrived from Chennai this morning and were caught off guard. No hotels near the station were open and we had to make do with snacks from small kiosks," said Muthukumar, who had arrived at South Station with his family. PG residents, largely IT professionals and students, who depend on nearby restaurants for daily meals, were also severely affected, as were hundreds of daily-wage workers and office employees. Earlier, nearly 500 hotel owners marched to the regional IOC office at Panampilly Nagar and staged a dharna in protest. The All Kerala Caterers Association has announced a state-wide dharna and kitchen strike on Thursday, with a torchlight procession from Vanchi Square to Menaka Junction at 6.30pm. Catering units will remain closed on Friday, May 8.