M. M. ALAM

LONDON: Over 12500 curry houses were doing roaring business here in UK till new immigration rules made bringing skilled chefs from Asia difficult.

As a result so far some 600 restaurants called it a day and another 4000 could pull their shutters down any moment.  

Enam Ali, founder of British Curry Awards, maintained that non-availability of chefs has made fulfilling orders unattainable.   Moreover, due to shortage of curry chefs the usual wages has now doubled to about 700 pounds a week.

He has sent a seventy-five page application to the PM urging them to ease immigration restrictions. The authorities have been requested to introduce one-year visas facilitating Indo-Pak chefs work in UK.

Ali, while warning the Conservative party, said that closure of curry houses will reflect negatively at the ballot box.