Eateries along Prithvi Highway face music for fleecing customers

MALEKHU: Hotels and restaurants along Nagdhunga-Naubise road section of Prithvi Highway have been charged with serving substandard food to customers at exorbitant costs. Some travellers who visited such restaurants have even claimed that rude treatment on the part of restaurateurs and staff was quite common. But this is not the first time that the customers were fleeced by the restaurants running along the highways. As per the government rule, hoteliers and restaurateurs are supposed to post the price tag of the products or services they offer. However, this is not duly implemented and also there is no improvement in the quality of food they sell. Most of the travellers complained that they have no choice for restaurants but of drivers forcing the customers to pay high prices for low-quality food that could also be stale sometime. Tara Dutta Bhatta, who was travelling to Kathmandu from Darchula, entered Kantipur Hotel at Khayarghari for a meal but shared that he paid a high price for low-quality food adding that he had no other choice. Another passenger Ambika Shrestha had also a similar story to share, "This is the obligation of the passengers to pay a high price for the low-quality foodstuffs." However, the hoteliers admit that the price is a bit higher in the hotels near the highway as they have to pay some benefits to the drivers and should offer free meals to drivers and their assistants. Against this backdrop and heavy criticisms of the service of the hoteliers along the highway in Dhading district, the District Administration Office and District Small and Cottage Industry Office have intensified the monitoring of the hotels. Hotels and restaurants at Benighat, Salangghat, Dharke, Naubise and nearby locations were inspected by the authorities on Saturday. Chief of District Small and Cottage Industry Office, Meghnath Gautam, said the hotels along the highway were found charging unusual prices but for the poor quality food. Some hoteliers have been punished for selling substandard foods and fleecing customers. Chief District Officer of Dhading, Krishna Prasad Lamsal, said the hotel and restaurant owners selling their goods and services without a price tag have been ordered to do so within a week and were also warned against the wrongdoings. (With inputs from RSS) READ ALSO:

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