by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, Economy, News
Panaji : A travel and tourism association in Goa on Saturday said the “Monument Mitra” scheme should make a distinction between religious and non-religious structures before putting them up for adoption.
The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), an umbrella body for the travel and tourism industry enterprises in the coastal state also said a transparent process should be followed for adoption of heritage structures by the corporates.
The association expressed its views even as the coalition government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Goa have formally panned the central tourism ministry’s “Monument Mitra” scheme.
The TTAG also said that while private participation in conservation of heritage is necessary, the public at large should not be denied access to the heritage monuments, and the structures should be allowed to be adopted purely from a corporate social responsibility point of view and not for profit-making.
“The government in doing so, needs to distinguish between religious monuments and the non-religious historical monument. Regarding religious monuments, there is a need to follow a consultative process between the respective government and religious bodies,” the TTAG said in a resolution passed on Saturday.
The resolution comes in wake of a controversy brewing in the state over the last two days, with the Opposition lambasting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government as well as the BJP-led coalition government in Goa, for allowing the adoption of the 16th century Basilica of Bom Jesus to private companies under the “Monument Mitra” scheme.
The Basilica is of immense religious significance to Goa, considering it is a part of a Church complex endorsed as a World Heritage site by the Unesco and it holds the sacred relics of Goa’s patron saint Francis Xavier and hosts an annual feast attended by hundreds of thousands of devotees in honour of the Spanish saint.
Reeling under pressure, Archives and Archaeology Minister Vijai Sardesai and Goa BJP President Vinay Tendulkar have said that the state government was not taken into confidence while listing the monuments for adoption.
“The TTAG further resolved there should be a transparent policy for selecting the corporate or private entity entrusted with such monuments. Profit should not be the motive and it should be purely a CSR exercise by the respective corporate,” the resolution said.
It also recommended that the state government should also adopt the scheme, while ensuring “for improvement of the upkeep of its monuments”.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Opinions
By Vishal Gulati
Shimla:(IANS) Once a favourite summer retreat of the erstwhile British rulers, Shimla is now so much in the grip of water scarcity that its hotels as well as guests have to fork out handsome amounts for every bucket they need.
“There is no water at all in the hotel we’re staying at. I was charged Rs.100 for a bucket of water,” Deepti Bhatnagar, a tourist from Lucknow, told IANS.
Her husband Pragya said: “This is probably the only tourist destination in the country that expects the tourists to carry their water with them.”
In most of Shimla, taps stay dry — water supply is restricted to once in two or three days. Some neighbourhoods receive tap water once a week.
The owners and managers of Shimla’s 450 hotels, restaurants and guest-houses are a worried lot.
“We are buying a 3,000-litre water tanker for Rs.5,000 from a private supplier to meet our daily needs,” D.P. Bhatia, the general manager of the Oberoi Group’s Clarkes Hotel, told IANS.
Private suppliers bring water from natural sources located on the outskirts of Shimla to sell to the hotels, he said.
Civic authorities say water shortage has become more acute since January 2 when supply from Ashwani Khud was stopped following a recent outbreak of jaundice.
Ashwani Khud was the source of water for one-third of Shimla’s population before the outbreak of jaundice, supplying nine to 10 million litres per day (MLD).
At an emergency meeting here on Thursday, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh directed officials to restore water supply from Ashwani Khud after taking measures to decontaminate the channel.
Shimla’s demand for water is 42 to 45 MLD, but supply is in the range of 32-35 MLD, the state government informed the state assembly last week.
The town gets water only on alternative days for a duration ranging from 45 to 90 minutes, said the government.
Even that may be an exaggeration.
Many neighbourhoods get tapped water supply for only 20-25 minutes after three to four days, local legislator Suresh Bhardwaj, who raised the issue in the last session of the assembly, told IANS.
A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, which highlights inadequacies of the Shimla Municipal Corporation, says the quantity of water supplied is less than the prescribed limit of 135 litres per capita per day.
From 2009 to 2014, the corporation supplied 110 litres of water per capita per day.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court observed on February 26 that scant attention was paid by the successive governments to providing adequate potable water and that despite rationing, the supply was erratic.
The high court directed the state government to set up a statutory agency to provide adequate water to Shimla and the rest of the state.
Planned for a maximum population of 16,000 during the British Raj, Shimla is now home to 170,000 people.
According to tourism industry representatives, Shimla gets 20,000-30,000 tourists on an average every weekend during the peak season — from May to June and November to January.
Irrigation and public health secretary Anuradha Thakur said work on pumping Satluj river water from Kol Dam in Mandi district is on with a view to relieving water shortage in Shimla.
“We are seeking early funding from the World Bank to construct a drinking water supply scheme from the Kol Dam,” she said.
(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business
Agra:(IANS) Stakeholders in the Agra’s tourism sector on Sunday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the issue of construction of an international airport here.
The Samajwadi Party government’s reported move to upgrade the airport at Mulayam Singh Yadav’s ancestral village Sefai, around 100 km from Agra, by sidelining Agra’s claim was “illogical”, Rajiv Tiwari, associated with tourism industry here, said.
“The airport demand has become a political issue. Politicians want to satisfy their vote banks, ignoring the just claims of Agra that has two world heritage monuments and half a dozen historical structures that attract millions of tourists from around the world all year round,” said Rakesh Chauhan, president of Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association.
“Only around 55 acres of land needs to be acquired in Dhanauli village for a new terminal building at Kheria that the Airports Authority of India wants to construct,” said hotelier Surendra Sharma.
“Those planning to visit Taj Mahal should normally land directly at the Kheria airport here, but lobbies of travel agents and hoteliers are scuttling the plans for an international airport at Agra,” said tourist guide Ved Gautam.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, Economy, News
Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Arun Jaitley addressing at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new Office Complex of the Ministry of Tourism ‘Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Paryatan Bhawan’, on the occasion of the World Tourism Day, in New Delhi. The Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, the Secretary of Tourism,Vinod Zutshi and other dignitaries are also seen.
New Delhi:(IANS) Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday criticised the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government for ignoring tourism industry and advocated the need to frame policies to help the sector.
“I regret to say that former governments didn’t make policies which could have enhanced tourism in the country. In fact, they formed such policies which made tourism sector weak,” Jaitley said after laying the foundation stone for the new building of tourism ministry.
He said India has the huge potential to attract tourists but at the same time there is a need to frame policies in such a way which will help the industry in the future.
“The country has the longest sea shore, huge forests, religious places and culture which have the capacity to attract tourists,” he added.
Besides, Jaitley said, there was a need to build more infrastructure, especially airports.
“India should increase its airline capacity from 5 to 10 percent to cater to more foreign tourist in the country,” he added.
