Amid LPG crisis, Bengaluru hotel industry hit by staff exodus ahead of elections in 4 states

BENGALURU: Hotel owners in Bengaluru and other parts of the states are struggling with gas shortages, and now staff are leaving to vote in their home states.

With elections announced in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam, migrant workers are heading back to cast their votes. Around 30 per cent of hotel staff from these states have already left Bengaluru, said P C Rao, president of the Bengaluru Hotel Association. This is expected to worsen the situation for hotels, already reeling from gas shortages.

Rao told Public TV, “We are making arrangements for their travel as voting in an election is their duty. We will get the numbers of staffers who have gone back in the first week of April. We have a lot of migrant workers and at least about 20 per cent of them will go back home for the elections”.

The LPG crisis has also caused huge losses to the hotel industry. “It is a cascading effect which has led to dip in tourism, cancellation of booking of banquet halls, trimming the menu and reduced working hours. If this continues, milk and vegetable vendors will also be hit. The hotel industry will suffer losses of about Rs 100 crore by the end of the month if the issue is not resolved”, Rao added.