Hotel association seeks lifting of ban on live orchestras in Daman

SURAT: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) on Wednesday urged the Daman administration to reconsider its decision to ban live orchestras in hotels, bars and restaurants in the union territory. HRAWI termed the move as arbitrary, without basis and one that would severely hit tourism. Last week, deputy collector of Daman had issued a circular revoking permit for live orchestras in hotels, bars and restaurants.The reason for the ban was cited as a way of preventing Daman from becoming a hub for prostitution and other illegal activities.
The Daman administration acted after receiving inputs from the police regarding the illegal activities in the garb of live orchestra.
"The administration claims that there may be cases of prostitution and illegal activities taking place under the pretext of live orchestras. But this is baseless and merely presumptive. Concluding that all live orchestras are indulging in such practices is arbitrary and sets a bad precedent. Many hotels and restaurants that have heavily invested both capital and time for setting up infrastructures are now in a soup on account of this ban," says Bharat Malkani, president, HRAWI.
Last year, the Daman administration had formulated a policy of allowing orchestras for entertainment of visitors. Some hotels in the region had obtained the licenses for the same, mainly in Dabhel and Bhimpore. HRAWI office-bearers said that the hoteliers and restaurateurs are in a fix. They invest in businesses and projects based on stable Government policies. Every enterprise is built around projected returns on investment. But if policies are changed arbitrarily, they will not be able to plan for future.
In specific relation to this ban, many hoteliers had invested in artist promotion and popularizing the concept of live orchestra. With this immediate ban, not only the enterprises will begin to incur losses immediately but also tourism as a whole will be hampered. With New Year just a month away, a sudden jerk in the mechanism of hospitality will certainly be a cause for tourists to withdraw their visits or stays from here to other places, eventually resulting into deficit in revenues for the state's coffers as well.
"We stand by the administration for its stance against illegal activities under the disguise of live performances. The law should be vigilant and should take action against erring establishments who bring a bad name to the region and tarnish the reputation of tourism in the state" said Malkani.