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| Hoteliers’ delegation call on Amit Shah | | Focus on tourism projects can provide huge employment: FHRICJR, HRAK | |
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Oct 25: A joint delegation of Federation of Hotels, Restaurants, Industry & Commerce of Jammu Region (FHRICJR) and Hotel & Restaurant Association Katra (HRAK) call on Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah.
Union Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office; Dr Jitendra Singh and Lt Governor J&K Manoj Sinha were also present during the meeting.
The delegation of hoteliers which was led by President HRAK Rakesh Wazir, who is also Sr Vice President FHRICJR, and President Patnitop Hotels, Restaurants & Bar Association Kushal Magotra, apprised that tourism is back bone of J&K and focus and thrust on it will attract maximum investment and generate maximum employment in the Union Territory.
Rakesh Wazir while speaking on the occasion said that they are expecting huge investment in tourism projects if explored properly especially around Katra Vaishno Devi and at tourist places like Shiv Khori, Bhaderwah, Patnitop, Jhajjar Kotli, Jammu and thus suggested the tourism related projects in public-private partnership including ropeways at Shiv Khori, Katra-Shankeracharya, water entertainment park at Jhajjar Kotli, Light & Sound Show/Amusement Park/Theme Park at Katra should be cleared at the earliest.
He said that tourism whether it is pilgrimage, adventure, leisure and even otherwise is the back bone of J&K and lakhs of people come over here whether for Vaishnodevi, Amarnath, ShivKhori, Patnitop, Bhaderwah, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Srinagar, adding that the whole economy of the JKUT is dependent on it and is basic source of employment over here but the tragedy is this that main component of it i.e. Hotel Industry is still struggling to get the basic incentives which the other sectors of industry are getting.
He further said that previously hotels were provided with electricity at par with industries but that practice too is disbanded just after one year and likewise there was no tax on lodging before GST regime was there at J&K but with the coming of GST regime the taxes in the form of GST were imposed on hotel industry and later on refund of GST was started in various sectors including manufacturing industry but hotel sector in industry is still struggling to get that
Kushal Magotra raised the issue of dispensing with the dual registration of hotels and said that there should be single window for registrations. He said that as on today there is dual registration with Tourism Department as well as with Industries Department and request that registration with Tourism Department be waived off however all departments including Tourism may continue to have powers to see any irregularity and take action as per their norms and further said that this practice is already there in many states and emphasized that moratorium of loans which have become bad due to Covid be increased further. He even raised the issue of common sewerage treatment plant for whole Katra Vaishnodevi town so that polluted water may not go to the pious Ban Ganga and other clean water sources.
Home Minister Amit Shah listened to the delegation patiently and assured that sympathetic consideration to each and every point will be given which pertains to him and the points which pertain to others will be taken up with them.
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