Mumbai-Based AHAR Crosses Boundaries To Go State-Wide

Alan D’Mello - Mumbai

Mumbai’s very proactive hospitality association, the Indian hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR), will now no longer be confined to the metro alone. In a special general body meeting held in the city in November, the association passed an amendment opening membership to those outside the metro’s limits, but confined to Maharashtra.

AHAR president, Ravipal Singh Gandhi, told the Express Hotelier & Caterer, that the reason for this move was three fold; the first, there has been a high number of membership enquiries from hotel and restaurant owners and operators outside Mumbai. The second and the more important one, is that by having members outside the city, the association will no longer be debarred from contesting cases pertaining to it that have been transferred to Benches outside Mumbai. A case in point, is an important appeal against the high excise levy pertaining to restaurants AHAR was contesting in Mumbai that was transferred to the Nagpur bench of the High Court. The third motive behind AHAR’s boundary crossing move, is that with a state-wide mandate, it can take up larger issues that have a reflection on the city’s hospitality industry.

The Mumbai-based association is very cautious as this is the first time it is making this bold move. Citing technical reasons, AHAR’s non-city membership will be restricted to associations only, thus implying that individuals would not be eligible. In addition, the membership will be termed as ‘associate members’ and will not be eligible to vote. The arrangement AHAR intends to share with its associate members will be that of an information sharing one only. AHAR’s new amendment goes on to be more specific, as anticipating problems it cites as technical limitations, it says that it will not take up individual issues. It will only come in to the picture on issues with larger implications such is the license levy.