JOSEPH PINTO | NT
CALANGUTE: The tourism has been adversely affected in the Calangute beach belt due to demonetisation, besides the delay in the issuance of licences for shacks and service charge withdrawal.
A huge workforce is employed in restaurants, shacks and hotels in this belt. Due the cash crunch following the demonetisation, the hotel workers, especially, the waiters, cooks and room boys were greatly affected.
The demonetisation and curbs on withdrawal of money have had a major bearing on the fishing community, shack operators and small-time businessmen.
Restaurant and shack owners were fuming over lack of business as customers did not have cash.
The cashless system which is being followed in some restaurants has affected the flow of tips to the waiters.
The other issue that has affected the hotel industry is the government’s decision of scrapping service charge. Shack owners are complaining that the waiters are not willing to do the job as they don’t get tips for the services rendered.
With the assembly election just a few weeks away, the opposition parties are raking up the demonetisation issue.
The businesses which mainly rely on cash transaction along the beach belt were badly affected during the peak tourist season on account of the demonetisation.
Vaishali, an MBA student, who works for a shack as a cashier say that there is no suitable job available to match her qualification.
Shack owners along the beach belt say that they have been affected the most as they do not possess the swipe machines and have been losing out on business.
The shack operators said that they do not have cash for daily marketing as well as for paying salaries to the staff.
Chatravedi, general manager of a hotel in Calangute said that demonetisation has affected the hotel industry as the guests do not have money to spend. He said that the room boys and waiters, who make up a large workforce, are upset with the government’s demonetisation move, which will definitely have an impact on the outcome of the assembly election.
Geeta Palenkar said that the BJP government has implemented a number of schemes for the women but has failed to come out with a scheme for unemployed youth in the tourist belt.
Meanwhile, the hotel industry is complaining that the government has not done anything to help out the industry and its workforce.
“The investment promotion board, which is set up by the government to issue licences for new star hotels, should have set up centres for training new hotel staff. The other issue which the government has not taken into consideration is the tax structure which is the same for all hotels whether they operate in the prime areas or in the interiors. This is going to have an impact on the election outcome,” said Eknath, a hotelier