Coronavirus lockdown cooks up crisis for Mumbai’s ‘Udupi hotels’

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India’s financial hub Mumbai and the coastal Udupi district of Karnataka have a special connection. Almost every street in Mumbai has one ‘Udupi restaurant’.

Whether it is idli, vada, dosa, sambar, chutney, thali-lunch, tea and coffee, Mumbaikars cannot think of a day in their lives without Udupi food.

They also run catering services as well as bars. There are lakhs of people from Udupi who work in Mumbai’s small and big restaurants and canteens in office areas. But, several of them have started leaving for their hometowns in the wake of the lockdown.

Among them are Jaya Poojari and Sanjeeva, who reached Udupi last week. They plan to return after the lockdown in Mumbai ends. Jaya is now in a quarantine facility in Udupi, while Sanjeeva is in Kundapur.

“We came to know of a bus that was going to Udupi. They were charging Rs 4,300 per seat. We gave all the details and they secured the necessary permissions,” Jaya told DH from a hostel where the workers are quarantined.

“When we reached Udupi, we were escorted by police to the quarantine facility. We are going to be here for 14 days and then in 14 days of home quarantine,” he said. The bus had a majority of those working in hotels, restaurants and canteens, Jaya added.

“The situation is difficult, but once the lockdown ends, things will be back to normal. It may take a couple of months,” said Sudhakar Karkara, who runs a catering chain in Mumbai.

“The industry, which creates huge employment and is reeling under tremendous loss for the past two months, went unmentioned in the government’s relief package,” said Shivanand Shetty, president, Indian Hotels and Restaurant Association (AHAR).

“We were expecting some relief measures on the lines of other countries, which have supported the hospitality sector in these critical times,” he said.

“As we struggle to maintain our fixed overheads, we expect 35% of the restaurants to shut down permanently and an unemployment rate of 35-38%. We are not sure if we exist as an industry in the government’s scheme of things,” he added.