Mir Iqbal
Excelsior/Amin War
SRINAGAR, Apr 3: Kashmir Hoteliers today said that the tourism industry is being destroyed by agencies under a conspiracy so as to favour some other places at the cost of Kashmir.
President Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHARA), M Showkat Chowdary, told reporters here that like other indigenous sectors such as handicrafts, horticulture, they want to destroy tourism sector in Kashmir under a planned conspiracy.
However, Chowdary did not name the agencies even though pressed by the reporters.
The hoteliers also said that the recent air-fare hike from Srinagar to Delhi was a conspiracy to give a blow to tourism as it has made unaffordable for most of the tourists eager to visit Kashmir.
Questioning the timing of the orders issued by the Jammu and Kashmir State Pollution Control Board regarding the closure of hotels lacking sewage treatment facilities recently, they said this seems to be the reason how the vested interested groups are operating against the valley interests as the tourist arrivals started picking up.
Terming the order of closure of around 230 hotels as sheer injustice, they demanded if the absence of STP’s is threat to the environment then the order be applied to all the state without singling out the valley.
Chairman Co-ordination Committee KHARA-KHAROF- PHAROA, Faiz Bakshi said that the board is disregarding its own laid down guidelines.
“The board is ignoring its own laid down guidelines of 2011 which ordered the Installation of STP’s in hotels having at least 20 rooms without considering the efficacy of such plants in a cold place like Kashmir which requires some basic conditions like temperature of more than 20 degree Celsius and un-interrupting power supply for normal operation,” he said.
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