Title - Railway budget disappoints Valley-based hoteliers

Srinagar : The Valley-based hoteliers today expressed disappointment over the rail budget saying their recommendations have been ignored.

KHARA
Kashmir Hotels and Restaurant Association (KHARA) said the rail budget held nothing for Jammu and Kashmir especially for the Valley. “There is nothing new in the rail budget for our state. The railway ministry has not taken into consideration the importance of railways for promotion of tourism sector in Kashmir. We had proposed many things to government for the promotion of tourism sector which relates to the railway, but all has been ignored,” said KHARA President Showkat Chowdhary.
He said KHARA had proposed special holiday trains to Jammu to promote Kashmir tourism but “that too has not been considered.”
“Every visitor to Kashmir can’t afford to travel by air. We wanted that there should be special holiday packages for the visitors traveling to the State by train. It would have encouraged many people to visit our state in the presence of Kashmir specific holiday packages,” said Chowdhary.
He said KHARA had also demanded increase in the frequency of trains to Jammu from April to September.
“We have a good rush of tourists during peak summer season. Many tourists want to travel by train but they are forced to cancel their programs due to the increased bookings of the passengers for train during the peak season. Frequent trains to Jammu offering special concession would have encouraged more tourists to visit our state,” said KHARA President.
He said during the peak season of tourism in Kashmir, hoteliers had sought concessions on rail fares bound for Jammu.
KHARA also expressed dismay at “rejection” of rail coach factory in Jammu & Kashmir proposed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Notably, Chief Minister’s demand for setting up a rail coach factory in J&K to overcome industrial backwardness and economic shortcomings in the state has not been met in Tuesday's rail budget.

Hoteliers Club
Chairman, Hoteliers’ Club, Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya said that the railway budget has disappointed them.
  “We have time and again been pleading before the centre government for bringing railway service to the Kashmir valley in order to promote tourism. But unfortunate our pleas have not been heard,” Chaya said.
  “Kashmir’s economy is mostly depended on the tourism sector. We had urged the Centre government to announce special holiday packages for the visitors traveling the State by train. It would have encouraged many people in the country to visit the state but sadly our request has been once again turned down by the centre government,” Chaya added.
“Long pending demand for establishing Rail coach factory has also been ignored,” he said.