Strike by hotels near-total in Kochi

Protest march taken out to IOC office

An empty gas cylinder with a black flag tied to it is seen in front of a hotel in Kochi on Friday. Photo: K.K. Mustafah

The majority of hotels in the city remained closed on Friday following a shut-down call by the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA).

Heavy rush of customers was witnessed at those rare hotels that remained open. KHRA, in a press release, claimed that the strike was complete. A protest march was taken out to the office of the Indian Oil Corporation at Panamppilly Nagar under the aegis of the city unit of the KHRA. A dharna was inaugurated by KHRA general secretary Jose Mohan.

Mr. Mohan warned of strong protests unless the hike in the price of LPG cylinders is rolled back and State government foregoed the Value Added Tax to the tune of 14.5 per cent imposed on cooking gas cylinders meant for hotels.