Panel to decide on sops for tourism units

The new tourism policy, released recently by the Rajasthan government, aims at attracting investment in the booming sector in a major way.

Rajasthan's minister of state for tourism, Usha Punia, said the incontrovertible fact remains that the state was witnessing an unprecedented tourism boom, resulting in an acute shortage of rooms.

Punia said that by 2012, 20,000 rooms would be required.

The minister said the new policy for tourism units in "Rajasthan "� 2007" provided concessions to all the tourism units. Considering the new developments taking place in the tourism sector and the possible need for inclusion of new definitions of tourism units to avail of the benefits, such units would be decided by a two-member committee comprising of the principal secretary, tourism and principal secretary, urban governance.

They would then recommend to the concerned departments to include such activities as tourism units in applicable rules.

Comparing the new policy with the earlier Hotel Policy - 2006, Punia said that provisions for more land have been made for the tourism units. Special reserve prices for the land will be fixed ranging from 10% to 50% of the present commercial reserve price of the area concerned. However, the special reserve price shall not be less than the residential reserved price of that specific area.

The minister added that the local bodies shall notify through public advertisement for sale and disposal of lands identified and reserved for hotels and other tourism units through competitive bidding. Land made available under this policy cannot be used for any other purpose for 30 years.

The principal secretary tourism, Mira Mehrishi added that the conversion of agriculture land in urban and rural areas has been fully exempted from conversion and development fees. These provisions are made to motivate more and more investment in tourism sector.

Mehrishi further clarified that heritage properties such as havelis, forts, palaces, hunting lodges etc. which have been constructed prior to 1950, and are proposed to be utilized for conversion/construction into heritage hotels shall also be exempted from conversion fees.

There are some heritage properties and residential land and buildings which are running as hotels or other tourism units without permission and are also operational. These units shall be regularized on the basis of merits on payment of 25% of regularization fees, she said.

The principal secretary tourism also clarified that FAR for hotels already established would be increased from 1.75 to 2.0 to allow construction of an additional floor but in such cases only rooms would be permitted for construction.

All concessions available in Rajasthan Investment Policy Scheme 2003, shall also be available to all tourism units. For infrastructural development of all tourism units, tourism department shall work as nodal department.

After the approval of the tourism unit policy 2007 by the Cabinet, concerned departments would not be required to send to the cabinet amendments in their respective rules/ sub-rules and notifications. Departments concerned can make such amendments at the departmental level.