Hotels in TN to lower prices of food items by 10-15%

Chennai, Jun 2 (UNI) Hotel owners in Tamil Nadu have agreed to lower the prices of food items by 10 to 15 per cent as a birthday gift to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who turns 85 tomorrow.

After a meeting with Food Minister E V Velu at the Secretariat here, the hotel owners, led by Mr M Ravi of Vasanth Bhavan, agreed to lower the prices of idly, dosa, pongal, kichadi, vada and coffee.

In the middle-level hotels, one set of idly was presently sold at Rs eight, Dosa Rs 15, Vada Rs eight, Pongal Rs 15, Kichadi Rs 15 and a cup of tea at Rs eight.

These items, sold in other hotels at a higher price, would be reduced by 10 to 15 per cent and the same would come into effect from tomorrow, a release said.

A 250 gm rice limited meal would be sold at Rs 20, it said, adding those hotels, which were selling these items below the normal prices, have agreed to sell the items at the same reduced rate.

The hotel owners, who unanimously agreed to reduce the prices, had assured that they would not make any compromise on quality and taste of the food items, while reducing the prices, the release said.

They had also agreed to keep the price list in the hotels.

The state government had initiated talks with the hotel owners to reduce the prices after it received reports that prices of food items, commonly used by the people have gone up and there was a need to reduce them.

To lessen the burden on daily wage workers and floating population, who frequent hotels, the government appealed to the hotel owners to reduce the prices.

After Mr Velu held a meeting with them on May 17, senior Ministers Arcot N Veerasamy and Duraimurugan, along with Mr Velu, held second round of talks two days ago.

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