SANGAM

Donation drive up in travel sector
SANGAM PRASAIN
APR 25 - The UCPN (Maoist) has intensified its donation drive at different hotels, restaurants and travel trade organisations in the name of collecting funds for putting together a major show of public protest in the Capital on May 1. The party has declared it will bring in thousands of people to the Capital to mount pressure on the government to quit. The Maoists have mobilised their trade union, All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union (ANHRWU) for the donation drive as May 1 also happens to be International Workers' Day. On Saturday, ANHWRU began a donation campaign at Thamel, the tourist hotspot in Kathmandu Valley. "They raised money ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 30,000 from each tourism-related agency," said Jyoti Adhikari, past president of Travel Agents' Association of Nepal (TAAN). "But, the Maoists did not pressurize anyone to pay the donation," said Adhikari, who is himself a Maoist sympathizer. Sources said that the Maoist cadres have sought donations ranging from Rs 10,000 to 200,000 from different hotels and travel agencies. Hoteliers said the union is demanding donation ranging from Rs 150,000 to Rs 200,000 from each five star hotel this year. Last year, the Maoists had sought Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 from them. However, they have been providing a certain amount of money to workers to celebrate Worker's Day every year. Meanwhile, the union's demands are increasing with the passage of each year. This time, they are demanding Rs 20,000 from the two-star hotels. The amount demanded last year was Rs. 15,000. Hotel sources said the Maoist union is also demanding Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 from each non-star hotel. HAN had held a meeting with the Maoist union on Friday on the issue of the donation campaign. "We requested them not to bother us with calls for donation," said a hotelier. Representatives of different hotels at the meeting asked the union not to make extra demands saying they were anyways ready to help them in the purpose of marking Workers' Day. During the meeting with the business community at the Maoist headquarters, the party leadership urged the community to support the Maoist cause by giving donations to facilitate the major showdown scheduled for May 1. Workers’ assurance KATHMANDU: The Maoist-affiliated All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers' Union (ANHRWU) said that work in hotels and restaurants would be partially affected on International Workers' Day on May 1 as workers will go for planned agitation. "Over 24,000 hotels and restaurant workers along with workers from other sectors will march at Tundhikhel that day," said Prakash Shrestha, general secretary of ANHRWU. Madhav Om Shrestha, executive director of Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), said that the workers have assured not to hamper hotel services that day.