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| Beware! Kashmir valley costliest tourist destination these days…..? | | | early times report
Jammu, June 27: Imagine the skyrocketing prices for everything in Kashmir valley these days, when tourists' rush is in full swing!
Just for a plate of an Omelet with a cup of tea, one has to pay heavy price of Rs 55 "only" and that too at a Dhaba or Tea Stall. In rest of the state, the same is available not more than of Rs 25.
Be it roadside Dhabas, Tea Stalls or any of the un-starred Restaurants in different tourist places in Kashmir valley, the tourists are being forced to pay heavily. Shockingly, all such things are happening right under the nose of state government, which is governing the state from Srinagar itself-the summer capital of the state.
Instead of having a strict vigil on such ill-activities, all of the departments concerned seem to be a mute spectator as their palms have been allegedly greased by certain hoteliers, tour and travel operators having their outlets in Kashmir. Besides, the owners of commercial light motor passenger vehicles are also not behind as they are charging almost three times more than the actual prescribed rates circulated by the concerned agency.
"Our entire budget has got exhausted due to heavy prices of hotel rooms, eatables and traveling. We had planned to stay for a week but now we have no other option than to pack-up in between," shared Suresh Sharma, who had come along with his family for the first time in Kashmir. Like Sharma, there were number of similar families who complained of price hike in Srinagar, while speaking to Early Times.
Highly placed sources further made startling revelations that "even those hotels that have been taken on contract by the state government to accommodate Durbar move employees are also giving rooms on rent basis at exorbitant rates. The said rooms are vacant as the employees many a times take leaves and return to Jammu to meet their families." "Besides that, owing to house full like situation in hotels in Srinagar," sources further disclosed, "even the owners of private houses are providing room facilities at high rates to the tourists."
"Had it been Jammu, officials of tourism department would have conducted raids inquiring if the persons have obtained licenses of paying guest houses/hotels from the concerned department. But in Kashmir there is no rule, which clearly shows rules and regulations are only for Jammu and Kashmir valley is free to any sort of things," lambasted Vinod Singh a social worker from Jammu region.
Where are Tourist Cops?
After 2002, the then coalition government had constituted a special police force called Tourist Police and was posted at all important places frequented by tourists for providing assistance to tourists to prevent them from being cheated, harassed, etc. This force used to be headed by a Superintendent of Police, designated as Deputy Director Tourism (Enforcement) and was stationed in the Tourist Reception Centre. Ironically, not even a single tourist cop is available for hapless tourists these days in Kashmir valley to help the hapless tourists. At many tourist places, no such emergency booths have been set for the reasons best known to the authorities concerned.
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