Srinagar, Sep 23: A joint meeting of the Hotel & Restaurant Association Katra (HRAK) and PHDCCI Jammu Region on Wednesday expressed concern over the alleged control of Katra Railway Station by touts, anti-social elements and drug peddlers, causing inconvenience to pilgrims and tourists and affecting Katra’s image.
The associations said complaints regarding such activities had been brought to the notice of the Government Railway Police (GRP), Katra, but no effective action had been taken so far.
Rakesh Wazir, President HRAK and Chairman PHDCCI, expressed strong resentment over the alleged unchecked activities of these elements, saying they were fleecing pilgrims on false promises, taking them to different places and misbehaving with them, thereby bringing a bad name to Katra.
He said the railway station was increasingly becoming a hub of such anti-social elements. He added that their activities had reached such a level that they allegedly attacked police personnel on duty, videos of which had gone viral.
Shyam Lal Kesar, Chairman HRAK, said that under the Tourism Trade Act, the Tourism Department was the competent authority to issue licences to tourist guides in J&K and no unauthorised person was permitted to guide pilgrims.
He questioned how such a large number of touts were being allowed to operate on the Katra Railway Station premises.
He said Katra was a sensitive pilgrimage destination visited by people from across the country and abroad, and any adverse incident could have an impact on the image and tourism economy of J&K.
Virender Kesar, Senior Vice President HRAK and Head PHDCCI Katra, said if police personnel could be attacked by anti-social elements, it raised concerns about the safety of ordinary people.
He urged the Lieutenant Governor, Director General of Police and other senior authorities to intervene immediately and take effective measures to curb the menace.
He cautioned that failure to address the issue promptly could lead to a serious law-and-order situation and adversely affect pilgrimage and tourism in J&K.
The meeting was attended by Vivek Sharma, Ramneek Nawada, Sudershan Sharma, Kuldeep Kesar, Vikas Gupta, Amit Rahi, among others.
