Why not a tourism infrastructure management body for Himachal?

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By: Satyakam Bharti

There’s hardly a curve left on roads crisscrossing Himachal from where you can experience the enchanting mountain landscape. That is because of encroachments on roadsides or simple mismanagement of places offering such views. Turning a blind eye to the problem, successive state governments have shown complete nearsightedness in maintaining and developing tourism-related assets, which has led to virgin pasture after pasture being mutilated due to haphazard growth and sheer negligence of authorities. As a result, the state today cannot boast of even a single decent tourist place that shows any signs of planning or foresight.

A magnificent view of the Dhauladhars from Talnu

Leave aside the main tourist towns in the state, which have been ever chaotic, indiscriminate commercialization of the land resource in the state has ensured that every possible place that in any way had some tourist potential is today full of squalour. While marathon meetings are regularly held to discuss how to promote tourism, lately high-end tourism, in the state, the discussions hardly take into account the existing mess or how to prevent further chaos.

The government has for long been talking about promoting new places with tourist potential, but lack of planning and foresight may again prove fatal for these virgin territories as it happened with other tourist towns that have turned into concrete jungles. The moment the government declares a plan for a certain place, the land mafia loses no time in getting there or somehow they have developed this intuitive power to be there even before such plans are announced. It has happened with every major project the government has announced, resulting in land prices going sky-high and the original project being overshadowed by illegal or haphazard construction around.

Construction activity at Talnu

Kufri near Shimla and Talnu in the outskirts of McLeodganj are perfect examples of lack of interest on the part of government to monitor development around places with tourist potential. What could have been ideal mountain retreats are today bleeding mountain tops lacking any kind of planned construction. Ten years ago Talnu was beautiful, idyllic place offering the closest and easiest possible view of the Dhauladhars. It was a sunset point tourists were just beginning to discover. The government probably knew it, but failed to act, or decided not to act, and as a result today the place no longer offers open meadows and unhindered views as hotels dot the landscape. Had the government developed a plan for the place, defining the maximum number of hotels, shops and related activities to be allowed there, the story could have been different.

The story, in fact, is the same all over Himachal with the town and country planning department literally sleeping, either covertly or overtly. The tourism department has been coming up with wonderful ideas to promote the state, but unless a coordinated effort is made to lift the overall standard of infrastructure and facilities available in the state, all efforts are set to go waste. The need of the hour is that when a coordinated effort by different departments does not seem working, a special vehicle should be constituted to plan, execute and coordinate tourism related projects.

Nowhere to stand

The state government was quick to jump on the SEZ bandwagon to promote industrialisation, whereas it should have made efforts to create special tourism zones. These tourism zones could be developed by some tourism infrastructure development body that carries out the whole gamut of activities like identifying places, acquiring land, and then developing them as tourist spots in partnership with the private sector and also the local populace. It’s a fact that the local population in Himachal derives fringe benefits from tourism related activities, whereas organized hotel industry and tour operators are outsiders. Thousands of localities who own land in the mountains have become landless and also unemployed after selling their small holding to hotel owners. It is very much possible to make these marginal landholders as stakeholders in tourism projects by employing the land pooling technique which gives them some ownership in the developed project.

These tasks could easily have been done by HPTDC, but the corporation seems more interested in serving daily meals to state guests and ferrying them in and out of the state. What we require is vision to see a Himachal of the future, if not better then at least at par with popular international mountain resorts. It’s a challenge but not impossible. The babus and their masters can at least visit such places and see for themselves. And this, of course, is not at all difficult.

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19 COMMENTS

  1. HPTDC, Himuda, TCP and the forest department… the laws are circumvented, blind eye turned towards realities and whatever laws are existing are not even followed under the pretext of political pressures… In the name of development people are being fooled and the only ones really benefiting are the corporate stakeholders, hoteliers and developers,, the average person is still floundering in the dark after doing his basic education about his means of earning. Instead of sincerely putting in efforts to try and start cottage scale development.. corporate dreams are woven into the rural fabric. Even now.. it can be turned around.. but will it happen..??

  2. HPTDC, Himuda, TCP and the forest department… the laws are circumvented, blind eye turned towards realities and whatever laws are existing are not even followed under the pretext of political pressures… In the name of development people are being fooled and the only ones really benefiting are the corporate stakeholders, hoteliers and developers,, the average person is still floundering in the dark after doing his basic education about his means of earning. Instead of sincerely putting in efforts to try and start cottage scale development.. corporate dreams are woven into the rural fabric. Even now.. it can be turned around.. but will it happen..??

  3. Great Post! That should be enough to wake up a sleeping moron if any of them is ( by any chance ) reading it.. 🙂

  4. Great Post! That should be enough to wake up a sleeping moron if any of them is ( by any chance ) reading it.. 🙂

  5. The problem in Himachal is the policies are made in government offices which are heavily influenced by the politicians. For example why a temple is coming up in Khaniara? A top government minister owns a hotel in Khaniara.

    Till the time, private sector is not involved in framing tourism policies, we will see the haphazard growth of our towns in the name of tourism. Create a tourism board in place of a tourism department and this can evolve into some fresh thinking..

  6. The problem in Himachal is the policies are made in government offices which are heavily influenced by the politicians. For example why a temple is coming up in Khaniara? A top government minister owns a hotel in Khaniara.

    Till the time, private sector is not involved in framing tourism policies, we will see the haphazard growth of our towns in the name of tourism. Create a tourism board in place of a tourism department and this can evolve into some fresh thinking..

  7. nice post….100 % truth..that himachal is being eaten up by outsider hoteliers not even worrying about the future of the places but just turning them into concrete jungles only for their monetary needs..whether its shimla ,manali,kullu,dalhousie or ny such famous place its d same every where…

  8. nice post….100 % truth..that himachal is being eaten up by outsider hoteliers not even worrying about the future of the places but just turning them into concrete jungles only for their monetary needs..whether its shimla ,manali,kullu,dalhousie or ny such famous place its d same every where…

  9. Congratulations Nirvan, for bringing this important issue to our attention through your well written article!! It's enough to make any thinking person cry, to see the beautiful natural scenery of Himachal destroyed – all because of GREED! It is double sad because, as you point out, the locals are hardly benefitting!!

  10. Congratulations Nirvan, for bringing this important issue to our attention through your well written article!! It's enough to make any thinking person cry, to see the beautiful natural scenery of Himachal destroyed – all because of GREED! It is double sad because, as you point out, the locals are hardly benefitting!!

  11. i think i've posted this at himvani before – there's an old german saying: state and land, in fool's hand.

  12. i think i've posted this at himvani before – there's an old german saying: state and land, in fool's hand.

  13. good work bharti sir !!! !! but bechare leaders kya karein they don't have any free time from promoting their interests, grabbing poor people's land , so when would they get time for think for the state !!

  14. good work bharti sir !!! !! but bechare leaders kya karein they don't have any free time from promoting their interests, grabbing poor people's land , so when would they get time for think for the state !!

  15. It is no doubt that this issue is most important at least now …It was to be considered years ago but its never too late for the right thing..I know Govt Politics are ignoring this fact but it is of grat importance..I having travelled to more than 40 countries across 6 continents know importance of this more than many ..But i wish i cud do something about it..But people who can do why not they do something ASAP &nbsp ;http://sundeepkullu.weebly.com

  16. It is no doubt that this issue is most important at least now …It was to be considered years ago but its never too late for the right thing..I know Govt Politics are ignoring this fact but it is of grat importance..I having travelled to more than 40 countries across 6 continents know importance of this more than many ..But i wish i cud do something about it..But people who can do why not they do something ASAP &nbsp ;http://sundeepkullu.weebly.com

  17. I do agree that the developmental activities are to be regulated, but I would also like to bring up a point that tourism can only be developed if there is some infrastructural development. Various state governments and the central government is shifting towards public private partnership projects and such projects are able to see the light of the day as private partnership is helping quick implementations. Policies of barring non-himachalis setting up projects in HP are no good. rather policies like giving employment to the locals on large scale, procuring the daily supplies etc from within Himachal, retaining the profits earned from such projects within Himachal, taking environmental upgradation of the area as part of the project should be some of the important steps which the state government should seriously think about and plan proper implementation of the same.

    The administrative setup of the IAS officers in Himachal quite intelligent and would be able to derive various policies for implementation, an incentive in the form of recognition of their efforts would make them more than happy to work with greater enthusiasm.

  18. I do agree that the developmental activities are to be regulated, but I would also like to bring up a point that tourism can only be developed if there is some infrastructural development. Various state governments and the central government is shifting towards public private partnership projects and such projects are able to see the light of the day as private partnership is helping quick implementations. Policies of barring non-himachalis setting up projects in HP are no good. rather policies like giving employment to the locals on large scale, procuring the daily supplies etc from within Himachal, retaining the profits earned from such projects within Himachal, taking environmental upgradation of the area as part of the project should be some of the important steps which the state government should seriously think about and plan proper implementation of the same.

    The administrative setup of the IAS officers in Himachal quite intelligent and would be able to derive various policies for implementation, an incentive in the form of recognition of their efforts would make them more than happy to work with greater enthusiasm.

  19. Its is right article at this time when we are allready late in preserving the beauty of state..why dont govt officials love there there home towns and do something to keep them clean and let tourism promote..The beauty of Himachal region is deteriorating a high rate and the tourism infrastructure body is a must..if they dont understand now they will never..and Himachal i s one of the most beautiful places in India  and if they cant protect it they cant protect or encourage tourism  .. very soon people will stop visiting these places like kullu manali Dharamshala if the goct doenst takes necessary steps..i have been to more than 50 countries around the world and i can see how concerned the other countreis are for the beauty of places they live..When will it hapen in Himachal

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