Darjeeling Hotels Roll Back Decision To Shut After GTA Meeting

The hotel owners had earlier said that keeping their establishments open was not financially viable.

The hotels in West Bengal's hill town of Darjeeling have decided to roll back their decision to remain shut after a meeting between the hotel association and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) on Monday, 8 June.

The Darjeeling Hotel Owners' Association (DHOA) had earlier said that hotels in the town will remain shut from 1 July, in spite of both state and central governments allowing them to open from 8 June. The DHOA had said that due to the low number of tourists that will be visiting the town, keeping hotels open will not be financially viable.

Speaking to The Quint, DHOA President, Sangay Bhutia said that the meeting with the GTA was fruitful and that the main agenda for the same was to sort out payment issues between hotel owners and staff.

"We want the government to extend some help to us in this period. We have forwarded multiple letters to the concerned department. Let's hope something comes out of it", said Bhutia.

Sources say that the GTA was mediating the issue of non-payment of hotel workers who had not been paid during the lockdown period. The employees have demanded that they be paid 60 percent of their wages now and the other 40 percent once hotels are fully operational and tourists come back to the town.

A committee has been formed to look into the matter after the meeting. There are approximately 330-odd hotels in Darjeeling which employ about 10,000 people.