-M.A. Lari, Everest International

Kathmandu: Mr. M.A. Lari, the Chairman of the Hotel Everest International, has said better late than never the Nepali government has understood the plight of the Hotel industry in the country due to varied domestic reasons.

According to Mr. Lari, who is one of the senior most Hotelier in Nepal, the Thapa government now has become sensitive towards the problems being faced by the Hotels and apparently has hinted that it would do what was needed to in order to provide a sort of relief to the Hotels.

“All that we demanded from the government is an assurance that the Hotels currently plagued by the financial crisis be allowed to work on its own and the government be kind enough to instruct the banks not to harass the hotels further for at least four years”, is what Lari said.

We sought, said Lari, pending of the loans and the interests on them to which the government appeared positive.

The government recently gave its nod and acknowledged Hotel industry in Nepal as a sick-one.

Mr. Lari believes that the government has become serious in this regard which gets reflected from the fact that the government has already instituted a committee under NPC member Shanker Koirala which has been instructed to identify the issues and devise mechanisms which then could be devised to reduce the crises that have of late plagued the entire Hotel industries in the country.

In a pleasing note, Mr. Lari revealed that the terror unleashed by Nepal Bank Limited in the recent months has subsided and that the Banks have not been using pressure tactics to frighten the hoteliers any more. “Pressure is there but not the one that is called undue one”, opines Lari.

In the mean time, the Hotel Association of Nepal, has issued a strong worded warning to the government to look into their matters positively well within forty-five days or else the entire hotels will cease to come into operation.

“We are not asking for any sort of subsidiaries, but instead been demanding extension of the loan payment period”, continued Mr. Lari.

The Chairman of the Everest International hopes that since the government has already initiated some processes in this regard, things will change for the better.

“Peace must be restored or else the tourism industry will come to a grinding halt”, concluded Mr. Lari.