SHILLONG: One of the oldest hotels opposite MTC building in the city is now a vegetable shop due to COVID crisis.
Eva Kharmawlong from Laban, who is the current owner, said on Saturday that the Meghalaya Hotel was set up in 1947 by her grandmother.
“In the absence of tourists and hawkers, the hotel does not have any customer for food and hence this is the only way to survive in the current situation,” Eva said.
She said after the lockdown was eased, there were only two or three customers and that was not enough to sustain her family and the workers.
“I have no other option but to sell vegetables in the hotel and now I am getting more customers,” she said.
The signboard of the hotel has an ‘Om’ symbol which, Eva considered, attracted all sorts of customers.
“We are members of the indigenous faith and hence our grandmother used the Om symbol. The food we provide is common — both vegetarian and non-vegetarian,” she said.
“The pandemic has affected all sections of people but the worst sufferers are those who run small business and daily wage earners”, she said.
According to Eva, many have turned into vegetable sellers due to the crisis.
With the ban on entry of tourists and restriction to hawkers still continuing, she does not expect the situation to be normal anytime soon.