Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 9: All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association today expressed concern over delay in payment of accommodation hired for staying Panches and Sarpanches in the Prime Minister Rally in the month of April, 2022 by the District Administration.
It was stated by the chairman of the Association Inderjeet Khajuria in a meeting of the office bearers here today and also raised the plight of hoteliers after the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Pawan Gupta said that before booking accommodations for Panches and Sarpanches, an assurance was given by the administration that payment shall be made within ten days but till date nothing has been happened after repeated representations by the hoteliers.
“At this critical juncture, when budget hoteliers are facing a lot of hardships and even binding up their hotel business, there is greater need of hand holding by the administration and immediate payment to the starving hoteliers would give a living breath to hoteliers and their dependents,” said president.
Gupta further added that Jammu has become worse than Pathankot after extension of the train service from Jammu to Katra and in order to save Jammu, it is need of hour to develop Jammu as an independent tourist destination.
“The tall claims of the administration that a record number of tourists had visited J&K recently during Navratra days are hollow claims as Jammu is concerned and not even five percent of the total pilgrims/tourists visiting Katra and Kashmir were diverted to Jammu city,” they alleged.
All the hopes of Jammuites that Jammu would be developed as an independent tourist destination have dashed to ground due to continuance of step motherly treatment towards Jammu by the administration. A day is not far off when stakeholders of Jammu tourist trade would close their premises due to huge expenditure but less income, they said.
ML Sharma, Anil Khajuria, Pritam Sharma and other office bearers were present during the meeting.
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