Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 12: All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association has demanded financial relief package to save the hotel industry, which has facing innumerable hardships because of Covid pandemic.
In the meeting of office bearers of All Jammu Hotels and Lodges Association held through video conferencing, the chairman, Inderjeet Khajuria expressed serious concern over the plight of Jammu people particularly those connected with tourism sector due to COVID pandemic coupled with continuous lockdowns.
Tourism sector has been pushed to innumerable hardships rather than any relief from Government and the condition of stakeholders has turned from bad to worse because of nil business activity, he said.
Pawan Gupta, President of the Association, said that through a letter written to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, he has expressed disappointment on ignoring the tourism sector particularly the hotel industry from the purview of any relief package from the Government even after repeated requests for the same. “The condition of smokeless hotel industry, already on the ventilator due to extension of train service from Jammu to Katra, has worsened due to engulfing effect of COVID pandemic and lockdowns. The tourism fraternity such as hotels, lodges, dhabas, travel agents, tour operators, traders dealing in shawls and handicrafts, dry fruits, taxis, autos, transporters, etc has been hit badly and passing through a very crucial phase of life because of zero business due to massive fall in the number of pilgrims /tourists from outside J&K, visiting Jammu, he explained.
During the enforcement of lockdown and thereafter, when the hotels are completely shut and not using any facility but hoteliers are compelled to pay electricity bills, water charges, municipal charges, Government departmental fees, etc, which need complete waive off for at least one year from the Government side to sustain the existence of starving tourism sector, said the Association members, adding that as the fear of third wave is looming large over the tourism sector, Government should come forward with a helping hand to save it in advance from extinction by announcing financial relief packages in its favour as done in many States of India.
Other office bearers present in the meeting, included M L Sharma, Anil Khajuria, Pritam Sharma, H S Manhas, Baldev Raj, Sunil Suri, Swarn Singh, Sankul Gupta, Manpreet Singh, Nishant Gupta and Varun Gupta.
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