Crackdown on unscrupulous tour operators in Valley
Tourists complain harassment, cheating, overcharging at houseboats

AHMED ALI FAYYAZ

SRINAGAR, Jan 14: Receiving serious complaints of harassment, cheating and overcharging from tourists at different hotels and houseboats in Valley, Department of Tourism has launched a crackdown on the unscrupulous but highly influential travel agents and tour operators. To begin with, authorities have canceled the registration of a travel agency after sealing off a houseboat of the same travel agent on Nagin Lake.

Authoritative sources revealed to Early Times that the number of complaints from domestic as well as foreign tourists had increased phenomenally as the accused tour operators enjoyed high level political and bureaucratic clout. It has been observed that one of the houseboat owners has not only constructed Rs 3 Crore residential house in the notified green belt---just 100 metes from the bank of Nagin Lake and a Tourism Department developed public park---but has also indulged in violation of different laws to pursue his business.

Senior officials said that the houseboat owner had been found providing free boarding and lodging to the non-state guests of the officials of Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWWDA) on his houseboats. Officials responsible for disallowing and dismantling unauthorized constructions on the green belt have, in turn, remained mute spectators to the encroachment and violation of rules and laws governing the master plan. Besides, high ranking government officials and a politician, now a junior Minister, attended the influential houseboat owner’s inaugural function at his lately raised mansion. Sources revealed that even a very senior Police official had called on the houseboat owner alongwith his wife to deliver the couple’s greetings.

Even as a number of such highly influential encroachers have been left intact, Tourism authorities have, of late, launched a crackdown on the relatively lesser protected tour operators. Sources said that in addition to closing down three unregistered travel agencies in this capital city, officials of the Directorate of Tourism, Kashmir, had sealed off one Mohammad Rafeeq Karnai’s houseboat, Dilshad, on Nagin Lake, deregistered his agency, Center Tours & Travels, and closed down the agency’s counter at Srinagar Airport.

Director Tourism, Kashmir, Farooq Ahmed Shah, confirmed that there had been a remarkable increase in the tourists’ complaints of harassment, cheating and over-charging against the unscrupulous houseboat owners, hoteliers and tour operators. He said that a team of officials conducted inquiry into dozens of such complaints and observed that some people had been operating unregistered travel agencies in Srinagar. On these findings, he said, three of such agencies were closed down and one more tour operator had been blacklisted. He said that his Department canceled the registration of Center Tours & Travels, Bishambar Nagar, sealed off the owner’s houseboat on Nagin Lake as also sealed off the same agency’s counter at Srinagar Airport.

Farooq Shah said that he had received orders of immediate action against unscrupulous tour operators from Minister incharge Tourism and Commissioner Secretary Tourism. He said that a committee, comprising Deputy Director Registration and Deputy Director Enforcement, was investigating the complaints and action would be initiated against more defaulters in a few days. He said that Government had also constituted a Special Task Force, comprising Deputy Director Handicrafts (Quality Control), Deputy Director (Registration) Tourism and Deputy Director (Enforcement) Tourism to take tough action against handicrafts vendors and shopkeepers who had been selling fake handicraft articles to tourists in Srinagar and other major tourist attractions in the Valley.

He said that officials were also investigating as to how a number of tour operators of bad reputation had succeeded in setting up stalls and counters at Srinagar Airport in league with officials of other departments.

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