FPCCI, APRA urge govt to allow restaurants restart services

KARACHI: Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) and Athar Sultan Chawla, Vice President, FPCCI and Convener All Pakistan Restaurant Association (APRA), Athar Sultan Chawla have urged the government and the National Command & Operations Center (NCOC) to immediately allow dining facility in restaurants, so that this industry can be saved from sinking and millions of people from being unemployed.

In an appeal to the government and the NCOC, Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo and Athar Sultan Chawla said that the restaurant sector was already suffering severe financial losses as a result of prolonged lockdowns during the first wave of the Corona epidemic and now due to some of the steps taken by the government during the second wave of epidemic, one of the country’s largest industries has reached on the brink of collapse.

“The restaurant industry which employs millions of people is being grossly abused and the closure of dining facility in the name of Corona SOPs has brought the business to a standstill and restaurant owners don’t have the money to pay employees,” they pointed out.

They further said the government’s lack of attention to this industry is causing serious concerns as significant investment has been made in the industry, while large-scale new investments are expected in this industry, but the government’s anti-industry measures will hit the new investment, so steps must be taken to ensure that business and investment are not affected.

Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo and Athar Sultan Chawla demanded from the government and NCOC that dining should be opened immediately as the restaurant industry cannot run without a dining facility.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021