Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 12: A delegation of Hotel & Restaurant Association Katra (HRAK), accompanied by stake holders from tourism and trade met Principal Secretary Industries & Commerce J&K Thakur Ranjan Parkash in presence of Director Industries, Jammu Annoo Malhotra, and demanded projects to make Katra and around as hub of Tourism.
Rakesh Wazir, President HRAK & Mentor PHDCCI Jammu, said that the investors are ready for making investment in viable projects around Katra like Shiv Khori rope way, water amusement park at Jhajjar Kotli, Light & sound on the history of Maa Vaishno Devi ji and many more on private Government partnership basis. “If the things are expedited ,we can see results within months,” he said added that service Industry connected with Tourism, which includes Hotels etc, constitute big component of that and thus all Industrial benefits need to be extended to Tourism Sector as well.
Mr Wazir said that like the Industrial Power Tariff benefit, which was sanctioned for the year 2018-19 for Hospitality sector by J&K Government and was further validated upto March-2019 by SAC, needs to be extended once for all so that Hotels may get power at Industrial rates. He also demanded GST reimbursement to Hotels.
Shyam Lal Kesar, Chairman HRAK, while speaking on the occasion, said that areas which are already commercial in approved Master Plans be not asked for changing of their land use from Agricultural to commercial from Revenue Department because once Master Plan is approved and Revenue Minister remains one of the signatory to it, its deemed permission is already there in it.
Shiv Kumar Sharma, former President & Virender Kesar, Sr Vice President elaborated that some special package for most sufferer Hospitality Industry in lieu of total closure of business is need of hour. They further said that interstate buses be allowed to cross Lakhanpur.
Naseem Chaya, Kushal Magotra, Sanjay Gupta, Vikas Gupta and Ashu Gupta requested for increasing the moratorium of hotel loans which have become bad and finding difficulty in re payment due to COVID as the Hotel Industry is the worst sufferer in the pandemic.
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