MANOJ ADHIKARI


POKHARA, Jan. 9:
An overwhelming majority of hotels and restaurants in the tourist city
of Pokhara were shut down Friday owing to the ongoing agitation by
Maoist-affiliated workers who are demanding salary adjustment in
accordance with the minimum salary set by the government.



Following the closure, all shops in Lakeside pulled down their shutters
citing minimum tourist movement. Many tourists remain stranded in the
western city.



Most tourists have left Pokhara after food and accommodation became
scarce. Distraught business operators have threatened to shut down all
the small and big restaurants and hotels if the dispute is not resolved
immediately.



On Friday morning, dozens of tourists were stranded at the local
tourist buspark owing to scarcity of bus tickets. They were loitering
around the buspark seeking travel tickets to head for Bhairahawa,
Chitwan or Kathmandu.



On Friday alone, about 500 tourists left Pokhara, according to Bacchu
Tiwari, president of Pokhara Tourist Council. “If this situation
continues for a couple of days more, there will be no tourist left in
Pokhara,” he told myrepublica.com.



Owing to scarcity of food, some tourists were resting on the roadside Friday morning eating bananas.



The Maoist- affiliated trade union has stopped work for the past three
days demanding the minimum salary of Rs 4,600 set by the government.



The hoteliers here themselves advised tourists to shorten their visit
after being unable to provide them with food and lodging facilities.
Tourists who were scheduled to arrive here have also cancelled
bookings, said Govinda Pahari, chairman of Regional Hotel Association.



Hoteliers said some tourists left the hotels cursing the government and the hoteliers.



The situation deteriorated after workers padlocked offices of several
tourism-related organizations Tuesday including the Regional Hotel
Association, Pokhara Hotel Assocaition, Pokhara Tourism Council, and
Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal.



Business operators have urged workers to create and environemnt
conducive for talks, and have stated that they have taken the workers’
demands with seriousness.



However, they have said they cannot provide salary like other
businesses do as the workers of hotels and restaurants are provided
food and lodging too.