Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 17: All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association has expressed serious concern over the plight of Jammu people, particularly those connected with tourism sector due to COVID pandemic and discrimination.
In a meeting of office bearers of the Association, its Chairman Inderjeet Khajuria said that tourism sector has been pushed to innumerable hardships rather than any relief from Government and the condition of stakeholders has turned from bad to worse because of nil business activity.
Pawan Gupta, President of the Association, through a letter written to new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, expressed disappointment on ignoring the tourism sector particularly the hotel industry from the purview of any relief package from the Government even after repeated requests for the same to the Government.
“The condition of smokeless hotel industry, already on the ventilator due to extension of train service from Jammu to Katra, has worsened due to engulfing effect of COVID pandemic. The tourism fraternity such as hotels, lodges, dhabas, travel agents, traders dealing in shawls and handicrafts, dry fruits, taxis, autos, etc has been hit badly and passing through a very crucial phase of life because of complete closure of their establishments even after unlocking due to zero business and compelled to take private loans to feed their families,” he explained and added that in contrast to tourism industry, all other trades/manufacturing units have started their running with reduced capacity but there appears no scope for revival of tourism industry partly.
The Association members observed that all the mega projects like artificial lake, Mubarak Mandi heritage complex, multi-storey parking complex at general bus stand, development of Suchetgarh border on the pattern of Wagah-Attari border, development of Raghunath Temple on the pattern of Golden Temple of Amritsar, recreational park at Bhagwati Nagar,etc didn’t get completed even after missing a number of deadlines. The Association appealed to the Government to expedite the completion of all these mega projects , fulfilling the long cherished dreams of Jammuites as these projects will certainly play a vital role in improving the shattered economy of Jammu.
The Government should come forward to the rescue of starving tourism sector by framing a viable policy/plan for the revival and survival of tourism sector,” the Association stressed.
The meeting was attended by Manhas, Pritam Sharma, Anil Khajuria, Baldev Raj, Swarn Singh, Sankul Gupta, Manpreet Singh, M L Sharma and others.
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