*Need to evolve mechanism for timely completion
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 8: Though PDP-BJP Coalition Government is enthusiastic about considerable amount having been sanctioned for the tourism sector under new package announced by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi yesterday, a daunting task is ahead for it to give required fillip to the tourism activities as besides establishing 50 new tourist villages during a span of next five years it would have to give practical shape to 23 such villages, whose fate is hanging in balance during the past many years.
Keeping in view the track record of J&K in delaying one after another project of immense importance, both the State and Central Governments would have to evolve a mechanism so that newly sanctioned villages don’t meet the fate of the earlier ones as tourist village concept has the potential to bring new spots on tourism map of the State.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that this concept was also adopted by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre for being not much expensive methodology for gearing up tourism activities and accordingly during the period between 2005-06 to 2007-08 the then Union Government sanctioned 50 tourist villages for Jammu and Kashmir.
Initially, an amount of Rs 31.50 crore was earmarked for establishment of 50 tourist villages but during the revised estimates the total cost was calculated at Rs 29.56 crore against which an amount of Rs 23.74 crore was released by the Union Government to the State Government.
However, the slackness continued to act as major impediment in carrying out works in these villages and the fallout of the same is that work on only 27 tourist villages has been completed till date and the fate of remaining 23 is still hanging in balance, sources regretted, adding “it is beyond imagination as to how work on establishment of tourist villages can get stretched for more than seven years”.
“How the delay of more than seven years can be justified especially when not much activities are involved in establishment of tourist villages”, sources said while disclosing that there are only two components for tourist villages. Under first component, infrastructure like cafeteria, view point(s), public facilities and Tourist Reception Centres are created and training to the interested populace of the village concerned in tourism related activities, exposure visits and other minor activities are carried out under second component.
They further said: “The present dispensation, which is claiming to have flagged tourism as priority sector, would face daunting task in making optimum use of tourist village concept for tourism promotion as it would have to complete these 23 tourist villages besides establishing 50 new villages sanctioned by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi yesterday”, adding “though for establishment of new villages five years time-frame is available with the PDP-BJP Government but it cannot afford anymore delay in respect of 23 villages and the same are required to be given practical shape before start of work on newly sanctioned ones”.
As far as newly sanctioned tourist villages are concerned, the Government will have to identify the villages in all the three regions of the State and then prepare Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) before formally approaching the Union Tourism Ministry. “Since this exercise is going to take time, the Government must immediately focus on those tourist villages, whose fate is hanging in balance during the past several years because of the slackness of the concerned authorities”, sources stressed.
“Both the State and Central Governments are required to evolve a mechanism so that all the projects relating to tourism sector don’t get stretched beyond the stipulated time-frame as this is the major sector, which can give required fillip to the economy of the State”, sources further stressed.
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