J&K govt to build 5-star hotel in Srinagar

As part of its efforts to build world-class tourism infrastructure in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to construct a five-star hotel in Srinagar's Tourist Reception Centre (TRC), which was gutted in a cross-firing incident a day before the launch of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service a year ago.

Well-placed official sources told Business Standard the state government had decided to construct the five-star hotel and had set up a committee to examine its modalities. The committee, to be headed by the chief secretary, has been asked to submit its report by the end of May.

The other members of the committee are the principal secretary (tourism), the director-general (tourism), the principal secretary (planning) and the chief town planner.

The TRC complex was devastated on April 6 last year, a day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's launch of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, when suspected militants had stormed the security guards posted at the entrance of the complex.

Opposition National Conference (NC) during the J&K Assembly's budget session last month opposed any move to construct hotel at the TRC.

However, top officials in Tourism Ministry said that the TRC was now an "outdated concept" as the tourism trends had greatly changed. "If we study the last three years trends in tourism sector, one thing is clear that we need revolutionary changes in our infrastructure," these officials asserted. "The construction of a five-star hotel is part of this major programme."

Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig, who also holds Tourism portfolio, confirmed that a five-star hotel would be constructed at the gutted TRC. "Five-star hotel will be constructed at the place (TRC)... As the venue of the arrival of tourists has changed so the TRC needs to be developed elsewhere accordingly," Baig said.

The new thinking in the state government owes much to the last year's good tourist rush. According to official figures, n last three months this year, fifty-one thousand tourists have visited the Kashmir valley.

The government has already announced that t would lease out patches of land at tourist resorts to private parties for developing infrastructure. It has also give go ahead for the introduction of Travel Help Services for the facility of tourists on nominal charges in the valley.

"The government is concentrating to give a world-class tourist infrastructure to the Kashmir valley. Four to five world class tourist resorts will be established and we have approached the centre to go for international tendering for the upcoming projects," Baig said.

The government is also contemplating to use prefabricated huts and tents to deal with prospective heavy tourist rush as there is great deal of deficiency of accommodation. Even the hotels, currently under the occupation of troops, are being made available for the tourist accommodation. "Security forces will be relocated from the hotels," Baig said.

"We had the best tourist influx last year in the past 17 years. If all goes well, this year will be much better as we expect double inflow (11 to 12 lakh tourists)," Baig said.

Behind this entire re-structuring of the tourism infrastructure, the state government is trying to vow tourists, both domestic and international, to stay back for longer periods in the picturesque valley and spend money.