Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 20: After numerous complaints of harassment of tourists against the mafia of unregistered tourist guides and other service providers operating illegally in Gulmarg, the Gulmarg Development Authority today conducted a massive drive against them.
The GDA team comprising local officials and tourist police and led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Waseem Raja, conducted a drive against these elements this morning.
The CEO said these unregistered and illegally operating service providers operate in mobs from major entries of Gulmarg, where they pounce upon tourist vehicles thus causing undue harassment to the incoming tourists, thereby earning a bad name to the world-famous tourist destination.
He said that the tourists have been continuously complaining before authorities against these elements.
“During action against these unscrupulous elements, they tried to manhandle civil and police officials for which an FIR was registered against the culprits,” he said.
The tourists and travel bodies have lauded this much awaited drive against the unscrupulous guides and demanded a sustained drive against these elements. They said that the mafia patronised by some politicians in the past should be strongly dealt with. They demanded that only registered service providers should be allowed to operate in Gulmarg.
The CEO Gulmarg has assured that such efforts to streamline and regulate the tourism services will continue in future.
Follow our WhatsApp channel