Kathmandu. Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) has said that nearly 2 dozen hotels have suffered major damages during the successful transformational movement this week. Issuing a press release, the association said that two dozen hotels across the country have been damaged and more than Rs 25 billion has been damaged.

According to the preliminary information gathered, the vandalism, arson and looting of hotels operating in Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Jhapa, Morang, Biratnagar, Dhangadhi, Mahottari, Dang, Tulsipur and other areas have caused a financial loss of over Rs 25 billion.

HAN said that the affected member hotels will not be able to operate without maintenance and reconstruction, which will directly affect the livelihood of more than two thousand workers and employees during the festival period and the hotels will be unable to pay financial liabilities including banks and financial institutions on a regular basis.

The Hotel Association Nepal has strongly demanded that such huge investment of the private sector including the public limited company with public share investment and painful damage to property should be investigated at the earliest by a powerful empowered judicial committee and the culprits should be punished with appropriate compensation and to move ahead together in the work of tourism development by providing financial package from the state for repair and reconstruction.