| Illegally raised, unregistered hotels at Pahalgam continue to function | | Can't initiate action due to political pressure, says tourism department officials | | 
Saahil Suhail
Early Times Report
Anantnag, May 25: Tourism officials on Wednesday said that they couldn't initiate action against the illegally raised and unregistered hotels at Movera, Pahalgam, which were allegedly fleecing the visitors.
Locals and some Pahalgam hoteliers told Early Times that unregistered hotels and guests houses raised in violation of the norms at Movera, Pahalgam, were doing brisk business under the nose of tourism department.
They accused officials of the department of having nexus with illegal hotel and guest house owners.
They alleged that some officials were hand-in-glove with the owners of these illegally raised hotels. "They come every month to these hotliers apparently to collect their share," Fayaz Ahmad, a local, sitting outside one such guesthouse, said.
Tourism officials too admitted have gone soft on the issue due to political pressure. "We can't initiate action against them as most of these hotels belong to politicians, bureaucrats and influential businessmen," an officer said.
He revealed that penalizing these hoteliers was too a tuff task for them. "We have to oblige our bosses at any cost," he said, requesting anonymity.
The officer said that twenty among these hotels at Movera were sealed but surprisingly, they resumed the operations next day. "We were humiliated on that day. I remember in presence of SP Enforcement, AD Tourism Pahalgam, SHO and other officials, twenty hotels were sealed but next day they resumed their business," he said, hinting involvement of senior officials. Assistant Director of Tourism, Pahalgam, Zahida Parveen said that they had penalized the hoteliers and couldn't move beyond that. "Sealing power doesn't lie with me so I can only penalize them," she said.
She said that it was the SP Enforcement of tourism department who could seal the hotels for running without required registration.
However, on being contacted SP Enforcement denied to have such powers. "Under tourism trade Act, I can't seal them as sealing power lies with Pahalgam Development Authority but I will visit the spot and look into it," he said while expressing ignorance about the issue.
Director Tourism, Mehmood Shah expressed concern over the issue and said it needed to be find out who actually could seal them. The hotels would be registered only after these fulfilled the basic criteria.
"For registration they need building permission, NoC from PDA and other departments particularly of flood and irrigation department which they can't as all of them are on river bank," he said.
The director said it was unsafe for tourists to stay in such unregistered hotels. |
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