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| Himachal Sport Company gets Crores from Tourism Deptt, JK Bank | | Mughal Road Rally | | Mustansir
SRINAGAR, Aug 22: The Jammu and Kashmir Government is annually spending 4 to 5 crore rupees on a Himachal Pradesh based private motor sports company which organizes Mughal Road car rally every year since 2008. And what is even more shocking is the fact that reports of spreading false and malicious information by the tour and travel operators of Shimla about J&K Tourism are still appearing in news-papers. Though the tourism department has been stating that the Mughal Rally is being organized annually to promote adventure tourism in Jammu and Kashmir but truth behind spending huge amount by a cash starved state on the event is to give direct benefit to the Himachal based Motorsport company, for, the owner of the company is very close to one of the senior Ministers in the state.
The huge spending on the annual event has invited sharp criticism from the people associated with the tourism sector who allege that a senior Minister in the State Government "managed" entry of Himalyan Motor Sports, for organizing such an event in the state to drain away the money from the cash starved state which could have been utilized judiciously for upgrading the tourism infrastructure in the state. According to sources, the Government has been releasing huge amount of money in the name of 'showcasing and promoting adventure sports activities' in Jammu and Kashmir. But, they say, it has hardly benefited the State in any manner so far, rather the event has drained away the money of the poor taxpayers of the state. They said the Tourism Department and Jammu and Kashmir Bank have been pumping money into the event only to give benefit to the influential person from Shimla.
"Pertinently tour and travel companies in Himachal Pradesh for last several years have resorted to a malicious practice of disseminating false information about Kashmir tourism," a tour operator in Srinagar told Early Times. He said that the even has in no way benefited to the state instead it has potentially harmed the interests of the state.
"Earlier when the tourists had almost abandoned the state, we made every effort to revive the tourism and for that we conducted rallies involving All India Motorsport Club in organizing the event" the tour operator who is associated with the tourism industry since fifties said. He said now when the situation in the state has come to the normal, primarily there was no need to pump in money on such events. He said even if the Government was so keen to promote adventure tourism, it should have involved motorsport companies of other states like Gujrat, Maharashtara, Andhra Pradesh or for that matter Rajasthan because by involving motorsport companies of these states could have benefited the state.
A senior official in the Tourism Department told Early Times that the tour and travel operators of Shimla with the active support of the higher ups in the Himachal Government have been disseminating false information about Kashmir tourism. "They (Himachal Pradesh) have been sending emails to the tour operators across the country cautioning them for sending tourists to Kashmir and we are rewarding them by organizing Mughal Rally for their personal benefits," said the official.
"Jammu and Kashmir tourism department is one of the major sponsors of the event for which it has paid around Rs 4 crores to the company during the last four years", he said adding that last year the company was paid Rs 35 lakh as sponsorship fee while this year around Rs 20 lakh has been paid by Tourism department and 15 lakh by JK Bank. The JK Bank had last year paid around 50 crore rupees as sponsorship fee to the Himalayan Motorsport Company. Sources said the company has been managing around Rs three to four crore per event from the sponsors that too from within the state. "This is completely illogical. Such an event may be good for promoting adventure tourism but what has it really paid back to the state in last four years?" asked the official.
He said the company has now made inroads in the State due to the backing of a senior Cabinet Minister. "We cannot say no to the sponsorship as there is pressure from the higher ups," he said. Meanwhile senior PDP leader and MLA Pahalgam, Rafi Ahmad Mir said that the money of the poor taxpayers was being wasted on such event which has in no way benefited the state. Mir was shocked on hearing that the event was being organized by a Shimla based private company.
The J&K Government led by Omar Abdullah is wasting money on unfruitful events, said Rafi Mir adding that he will raise the issue in the J&K Legislative Assembly. Mir alleged that huge money is being pumped into such non-productive events which have in no way benefited the state. |
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