Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 17: Members of All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association have appealed the Government to come to their rescue by giving instant relief to starving hotel industry on the same pattern as given in the year 2003 and formulate effective policy to bring back this sector to its original track and glory.
In a meeting of office bearers of the Association held through video conferencing, chairman, Inderjeet Khajuria expressed great concern over ignoring of the tourism sector from the purview of any relief package announced by the Government of India.
Pawan Gupta, President of the association, said tourism sector is completely shocked and dismayed after Union Minister of Finance announced no relief package/respite from the Government. “Tourism sector was expecting immediate as well as long term relief packages as it is only sector whose condition deteriorated from bad to worse due to by COVID lockdown. Hotel industry was already on ventilator due to extension of train service from Jammu to Katra and since August 2019 when Jammu and Kashmir State was bifurcated into two union territories with the abrogation of Article 370,” he added.
He further said that hotel industry hails the support given to various sectors such as MSME, farming, real estate, labour, etc but expresses its strong resentment for showing step motherly treatment to tourism sector. “Government of India is showing very little concern towards tourism sector which was the backbone of J&K’ economy and major job creator giving employment to more than 90 percent to local people spreading all over the regions of union territory,” he added.
“We have repeatedly pleaded for immediate relief in shape of financial assistance to hoteliers and staff, waiving off electricity, water, internet, municipal charges, etc, exemption of interest on loans as a short term measure and give soft loans to hotel industry for its survival as a long term measure. The day is not far off for hotel industry to meet its doom’s day if not supported by the Government and it has started showing signs of crumbling because of losses already suffered due to lockdown induced by corona pandemic and there is no hope of its sustenance in the near future,” said the Association.
Other office bearers, who attended the video conferencing, included H S Manhas, Anil Khajuria, Pritam Sharma, Baldev Raj, Sunil Suri, Swarn Singh, Sankul Gupta, Manpreet Singh and M L Sharma.
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