Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 5: The Department Related Committee of Legislative Council met today under the chairmanship of legislator Ghulam Nabi Monga and reviewed the functioning of Hospitality and Protocol Department.
Legislators, Bashir Ahmad Magray and Showkat Hussain Ganai, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, Principal Resident Commissioner, New Delhi, Lokesh Jha and senior officers of Hospitality and Protocol Department were present on the occasion.
The Committee discussed the functioning of the department and the status of the assets of the State lying in other parts of the country. The members gave suggestions for creating infrastructure which can be used for generating revenue thereby providing accommodation to the people of the State on their visit to these places, particularly the patients going for advanced treatment.
The Committee underlined need for improving services in the guest houses in and outside the State.
The Committee and the officers exchanged their views to make functioning of the department more vibrant and result oriented. Issues regarding the creation of additional accommodation at JK House New Delhi, renovation of staff quarters, retrieving of land from illegal occupants at Rajaji Marg New Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Sirsa Haryana occupied unauthorised by some persons came up for discussion.
Regarding paucity of staff, it was given out that posts have been referred to the SSRB for selection. The Committee asked Principal Secretary to take up the matter with the SSRB and get all the vacant posts of the department filled early for running the activities of the guest houses smoothly. The Committee also asked the concerned to pursue the cases vigorously pending in the different courts of the country.
Earlier, B. B. Vyas gave detailed account of the activities of the department and the initiatives taken by the Government for improving the services in Government controlled guest houses in and outside the State. He said efforts are on to retrieve the land from those who have unauthorised occupied it at different places.
Vyas said that revised estimate of Rs. 24.61 crore for construction of Convention Complex at Jammu has been approved and work on the project is in full and is expected to be completed during this year. He said up-gradation and renovation works of the assets in and outside the State have also been taken up.
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