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| Naeem Akhter eyes Tourism Ministry | | Tourism Advisory Board members from Kashmir selected on his recommendation: Hoteliers | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Nov 17: Peoples Democratic Party leader and Education Minister Naeem Akhter, who is often at loggerheads with the teachers community particularly Rehbar-e-Taleem, is likely to be the new Tourism Minister in the much-expected Cabinet reshuffle.
Highly placed sources told Early Times that Naeem, a former bureaucrat, has been lobbying before the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed having remained "a successful" Tourism Secretary in the previous PDP-led Government when he was into Government service, he deserves to be made the Tourism Minister. Presently the Tourism Ministry is headed by the Chief Minister himself.
Sources said Naeem has indirectly conveyed to the Chief Minister that he has a "roadmap for the upliftment of Tourism sector in the State" and would successfully execute it if given chance to serve the Tourism Ministry. "Naeem Sahib has often been trying to share his so called achievements when he was the Tourism Secretary," the insiders said.
He is also understood to have been poking his nose in most of the decisions taken with regard to the Tourism sector, while in the last few months he was often seen addressing functions related to Tourism sector in Kashmir.
Insiders said some of the leading Tourism players of Kashmir, mostly hoteliers, have been equally lobbying before the Chief Minister and the PDP President Mehbooba Mufti that "Only Naeem Sahib is the best bet for the Tourism Ministry."
Sources said since the PDP led Government came to power, Naeem, who allegedly failed to manage Education Ministry given to him, has been leaving no stone unturned to help a particular group of Kashmiri hoteliers in whatever way he could only to gain their goodwill.
"Forget other incentives, in the name of maintenance of fountains at prime locations in Srinagar, he pressurized the then SMC Commissioner Tufail Mattu who was his neighbour, to grant some of his favorite hoteliers, the sites for the installation of their business hoardings free of cost," said a source in know of the deal. "Otherwise why such a selected group of hoteliers was unduly favoured?" he asked.
Sources said thereafter Naeem also facilitated the lease out of prized huts at Pahalgam Golf Course to a particular Kashmiri hotelier he enjoys good equation with.
Most such hoteliers from Kashmir, who have been unduly favored in the past few months, have been made members of the recently constituted Tourism Advisory Board.
This has left the veterans of the Tourism industry up in arms. "The tainted hoteliers who have cases registered against them have been made members of the Advisory Board whereas the credible and veteran voices in the field of Tourism have been ignored," said a prominent Tourism player with over four decades of professional career in the industry to his credit.
The aggrieved hoteliers and some business bodies in Kashmir believe that Naeem has tactfully got "his own people" absorbed in the Tourism Advisory Board so that once he is taken as the concerned Minister, he has his say before the "yes Ministers".
But on the whole Naeem is often seen as an inexperienced man into politics who couldn't do justice with the portfolio of Ministry he was assigned. His eight months of career as Education Minister have been marred by controversies with teachers often taking to streets against his "illogical and dictatorial policies."
A former bureaucrat Naeem Akhter, was Commissioner Secretary till 2009, when he sought voluntary retirement from the then Omar Abdullah Government, just two years ahead his scheduled retirement and joined PDP.
PDP veterans like former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, often look at Naeem as nothing better than a "good steno." Interestingly Beigh was the Tourism Minister when Naeem was his subordinate official as Commissioner Tourism.
Despite repeated attempts Naeem could not be contacted for comments. |
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