-SATISH HANDA
Service sector including hotel, restaurant, tourism, travel and other retail sectors in trade & industry not only in Haryana state but also all over in the country have been adversely affected due to infection of second wave of Carona virus. Most of the states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Punjab, Chhatisgarh and Haryana have already declared night curfew, partly lockdown and other restrictions The retail sector is facing severe economic slow down since past over a year when their business dropped to only 20-25% now had a ray of hope for improvement in business and started getting orders from indigenous as well as export markets are much worried over the attack of second wave of Carona much more severe than the first wave.
Most of the migrant labourers working in industries has started leaving for their natives places once against and one can see crowd of passengers on the railways stations. Which will further affect production in the industries yet has not been able to recover from the wounds by the first wave of Carona’s attack so far. According to Federation of Hotel & Restaurants Association of India, The business dropped between 20-25% due to COVID-19 outbreak in the country in April last year and most of the hotels and restaurants yet have not pulled up their shutters so far and situation will become worst now after second wave of the disease, moreover government has ordered that all restaurants will remain closed after 9 PM as a result there will be further drastic fall in business causing heavy losses due to expenses towards establishment and salaries to the staff.
According to Kumar Rajgopalan CEO Retail Association of India, due to restrictions imposed by the government the retail business will further drop up to 40-50% incurring loss worth Rs 35000 crore. According to Lalit Aggarwal CMD V-Mart their business has already suffered more than 25% fall and all Mauls in the country are unable to meet their daily expenses and salaries to their staff in present circumstances when there are hardly few buyers. Tourism industry in Haryana state already facing heavy slump since April 2020
when government declared lock down and situation will further deteriorated now during second wave of Carona.
Information reveals, when lock down was declared in April 2020 the number of tourists and pilgrims to spiritual & historic places a mythological city Kurukshetra in Haryana where Mahabharta battle took place having several religious and historic places to attract visitors include holy Brahm Sarovar, Jyotisar, Bhadarkali Mandir, Shri Venkteshwar Swami Tirupati, Balaji Temple, Gurdwara Mastgarh, Sheikh Chaheli’s Tomb, Shri Krishna Museum, Dharohar Museum, Raja Harsha Ka Tila, , Kalpana Chwla Memorial Planetarium, Thanesar Archaeological Site Museum and famous Kurukshetra Panorama & Science centre. According to in-charge Kurukshetra Tourism Board, the number of visitors to this tourists centre reduced to only 30% after Carona spread last year. He said, during recent Baisakhi festival the number of pilgrims arrived to have a dip in holy Brahm Sarovar was meagre when the town used to have crowd of visitors on this occasion in past years.
