District-level panels to identify land for establishing 5-star hotels in J&K

Jammu, May 31: In a major administrative decision aiming at firming-up quality infrastructure in J&K, in the wake of anticipated manifold increase in tourist-footfall and investment projects, the Union Territory administration has decided to establish 5-star hotels in different districts.

For this purpose, the government has ordered the constitution of District Level Committees (DLCs) for identification of land for establishment of 5-star hotels in Jammu & Kashmir.

“See, this is an administrative decision, taken at the highest level. I’m not the right person to comment on it. So far, we, too, are not aware of the full scope of the decision, which is a policy matter. At our level, this order has come for implementation. We have to only identify land. How it (initiative) will take shape and what will be its contours – only the top hierarchy is privy to these details,” stated a senior officer, who wished not to be quoted.

“The decision is in alignment with the existing government’s plan of action vis-a-vis bolstering tourism by tapping the full potential of J&K. In any case, as our department’s profile conveys that tourism is the prime driver of J&K’s economy so everything possible is being done to develop the UT as a preferred destination,” another officer related to the Tourism Department shared, while briefly delineating the significance of this order.

Each 6-member DLC - with the Deputy Commissioner concerned as its chairperson - has been tasked to identify suitable land for the establishment of 5 star hotels.

This land may include state land, forest land, private land etc having the potential and feasibility considering factors such as accessibility and other basic infrastructure required for the project.

Other members of will include Director Tourism concerned; DFO concerned; Chief Town Planner concerned; Chief Executive Officer concerned and General Manager, District Industries Centre.

Each panel will submit the proposal through Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir and Jammu to the Tourism department with set pro-forma comprising details regarding location; area; title of land; kind of soil; coordinates of the site; land use as per Master plan; distance from the main tourist site and road connectivity.

Officially speaking, the administrative decision on this account also has another important aspect as the government of the day is focussed to promote J&K, both as a prime tourism as well as an ideal investment destination. To cater to the needs of high-end tourists and investors, both foreign as well as local, quality infrastructure is imperative. This explains the significance of this move.

Earlier in February, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had stated, “Changes are visible in the economic sector in the form of overwhelming investment. In the last over three years, we have received investment proposals of Rs 90,000 Cr (against Rs 13-14,000 Cr investment since independence upto 2021), out of which projects worth Rs 15,000 Cr are taking shape on the ground.” “2.12 Cr tourists visited J&K last year; influx of foreign tourists registered around three-fold increase post G 20 summit. We anticipate a significant increase in this number in the current year and we’re gearing up for it,” LG Sinha had mentioned.

Commissioner Secretary Tourism and the Directors Tourism Kashmir and Jammu were not available for comment.