All functions cancelled, caterers hit hard by Covid

Light & sound, tent service providers, flower sellers suffer huge losses

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Mounting liabilities cause for concern

“We had around Rs70 lakh worth of business in hand before the Covid outbreak but due to the lockdown, we refunded the entire advance money taken. It has become difficult to cope with mounting liabilities, as insurance and loan installments of vehicles have to be paid, besides rent of godowns and salaries of permanent employees,” — Rajiv Thakur, owner of Thakur Light and Sound.

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 16

Covid-19 has struck a lethal blow to self-employed people associated with catering, floriculture, music bands, tent services, and light and sound — they used to get numerous bookings for marriages and other ceremonies during the summer but have been without customers for the past three months.

Marriages are not taking place, all celebrations and functions have been cancelled, the hopes of making the best use of the season have been shattered and investments made in advance have become redundant.

Lavish marriage parties and large gatherings at public functions that yielded handsome returns to them are now a thing of the past — 90 per cent bookings for marriages up to September have been cancelled.

“We will die of hunger in the coming days, as there is no work and our future seems to be bleak,” says Sameer of Darbar Band, who has 40 to 45 employees. “We get business for eight months in a year and we have no other means of livelihood to feed our families,” he adds.

“We provide services for occasions like marriages, retirement parties, birthdays, religious ceremonies, kriya bhoj and other functions but with the cap of 50 persons’ gathering in a wedding, our business has become unviable and the labour is the worst-hit,” says Amit Thakur, a caterer. He adds that they have told over their 90 per cent employees to stay at home till the situation normalises.

“April to June is the main season. We get no business from December end to mid-March in Shimla and its adjoining areas due to the winter and hence there is no income,” says Gaurav Sood, owner of Natraj Tent House, who used to employ 200 to 300 labourers during the season.

“We had around Rs 70 lakh worth of business in hand before the Covid outbreak but due to the lockdown, we refunded the entire advance money taken. It has become difficult to cope with mounting liabilities, as insurance and loan installments of vehicles have to be paid, besides rent of godowns and salaries of permanent employees,” says Rajiv Thakur, owner of Thakur Light and Sound.

The sale of flowers is negligible, as temples are closed and no ceremonies and political functions are taking place. The flowers are supplied only on order now, says Amit Sood from Universal Traders.