Dehradun, June 7 (IANS). Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat said on Sunday that the number of tourists in the state this year has been less than expected, which has had a huge impact on the hotel industry. He urged Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to provide some relief package so that the loss suffered by the hotel industry can be compensated.
Speaking to IANS, Harish Rawat said that this is the time when tourism should have been at its peak, but the number of tourists is not as expected. As a result, the hotel industry is being badly affected. He further said that in fact, I would request the Chief Minister to provide some relief packages like tax exemptions so that the hotel industry which is suffering the brunt of decline in tourism can get some relief. The Congress leader alleged that the present BJP government in the state has not made proper arrangements for the ongoing Char Dham Yatra. Arrangements for the Char Dham pilgrimage have already been disrupted. The state government itself is confused about what policy it should adopt.
The former Chief Minister further said that sometimes it talks about capacity, and sometimes it keeps inviting more pilgrims. Sometimes it talks about online booking, sometimes about offline booking. There is no clear policy. However, earlier speaking to IANS, Uttarakhand Minister Bharat Singh Choudhary had said that this year more pilgrims have visited the Char Dham than expected in the state. He emphasized that the increased number of pilgrims has had a positive impact on the tourism sector of the state,
Due to which more employment opportunities have been created for the local people. Congress also claimed that the state administration has not made proper arrangements in view of the weather conditions. Responding to the horrific fire incident in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, Harish Rawat said that this incident is very sad. All states should learn a lesson from this. He criticized Delhi Police for arresting the chef of the guest house instead of the manager and the concerned officials.
–IANS