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Read Eight Reliefs That Himachal’s Devastated Tourism Industry Seeks from HP Govt
Shimla-Restrictions on entry of tourist to Himachal Pradesh might have been lifted by the state government, but the peak season is almost over with the arrival of the monsoon. This year, the monsoon has arrived sooner than it used to reach the state. Approximately Rs 17,00 crore tourism industry of Himachal stands devastated due to Covid-related restrictions on the movement of people.
The industry gets 70% of its business during the peak tourist season, which is May and June months. The season lasts a little longer in case of delayed arrival of monsoon. Unfortunately, the industry has lost two peak seasons in a row.
This has resulted in mass unemployment in all tourism associated sectors and huge losses to businesses, especially hotel businesses. The state government doesn’t seem to be much interested in assessing the exact scale of the loss and unemployment caused during the 2020-21 period. At least, this is what the hoteliers and various stakeholders in the tourism sector of Himachal suggest. The hoteliers say they haven’t received any significant relief from the government.
The hoteliers, who had been approaching the government time and again in hope of some relief, are disappointed with the state government. Hoteliers are faulting on paying EMIs of their bank loans. Last year, most availed moratorium and restructured their loan EMIs. But this year, they are receiving notices from Banks warning them that their loans would be declared NPAs by the end of this year if they failed to repay the loans. Hoteliers have even started putting hotels on sale after warning of the third wave of the pandemic. They had not imagined that the pandemic would continue for this long, but now they are certain that it could take several years before things get back to normal.
Reeling under fear of survival, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) approached Chief Minister Jairam Thakur a couple of days ago with their grievances.
Earlier, in May, the Tourism Industry Stake Holders Association had written a letter to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur seeking financial aid from the state government to save the industry amid COVID-19 resurgence. The Association had also highlighted the shared plight of hotels and restaurants falling in debt and failing to provide for the expenses.
“The impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry has been extremely disruptive. Among all the core sectors of the economy, hospitality was the first one to fall and is going to be the last to recover, hence becoming the biggest causality of the pandemic,” the HRANI said.
“The industry had lost all its business after the lockdown came into effect and the zero-business scenario remained for 7 -10 months during last year,” the Association told the Chief Minister.
The Association also pointed out that to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and reduce financial burden, the Government of Gujarat has granted a complete waiver of Property tax for the 2021 – 22 financial year and also waived off fixed charges levied on electricity bills for hotels, restaurant, resorts and water Parks. The consumers only have to pay power bills for the actual usage.
“Today, hospitality has become the most unviable and unsustainable business in the country and is heading towards the closure of thousands of establishments in many parts of the country and massive job losses,” the HRANI said.
It said that given the circumstances, hoteliers are expecting strong support from the HP government. It sought following relief for the survival and revival of hospitality units:
- Refund / Adjustment Excise Fees: Due to lock down measures and non-operations of bars from March 22, 2020, to September 4, 2020, the excise fee paid by licensee Bars, Hotels and Restaurants for the non-operations period should be either refunded or adjusted. Due to curfew/lockdown measures, none of the excise Licenses (Hotels and Restaurant) in the state has been permitted to operate since the beginning of this financial year till date which has brought the hospitality sector to its knees. Under such circumstances, the hospitality sector can’t stay afloat. The excise fee should be waived off for the next six months. In case of advance payment of the fees, it should either be refunded or adjusted.
- Power: The contracted capacity of power Consumption was not used by the hotels. But the Fixed Charges at the applicable rate have been billed to them based on the contracted Billing Demand which included the non-operations period. Therefore, keeping in view the closure of hospitality establishments, hoteliers requested a complete waiver of fixed charges.
- Property Tax / House Tax: Relief from property tax/house tax by extending a waiver for hotels and hospitality establishments for a suitable period during the current financial year.
- Increase of limit of 25 guests for social functions for Spacious Premises: The hospitality establishments largely depend upon banqueting as it majorly contributes to meet operational expenses. It is a key source of revenue and is also taken into account while calculating the operating cost of hospitality units. Therefore, following the protocol of social distancing, the limit of 25 guests for social functions should be increased in accordance with the capacity of the hall and open space to cater to guest. The Banquets, Premises and halls having larger space should be allowed to host social functions and gatherings with 50% capacity without any further local permission, provided the protocol of social distancing is maintained.
- A waiver on water bills and sewerage charges: The water bill and sewerage charges by Jal Board should be waived off for the next six months due to lockdown and non-operations of hospitality units. Since last year there is hardly any occupancy/guests due to travel restrictions & and uarantine guidelines.
- Automatic extensions/onetime special renewals: Automatic extension /onetime special renewal of Certificates for one year from all departments such as FIRE NOC, Municipal License Renewals Certificate of Weight and Measurement from Legal Metrology Department; Certificate for lift Operations; Shops & Establishment Certificate &Consent to Operate by Pollution Control Committee. Given restrictions & the challenges of this worst-hit industry, the hoteliers requested to permit onetime special renewal or automatic extension of all approvals & licenses to be valid till March 31, 2022.
- Relief from penal provisions for delays in dues: No penalty or interest to be levied on payment of any dues owed to the State government or local Government or other State bodies for a suitable period.
- Relief from regulatory compliances: Relief from regulatory compliances under State Laws or Central Laws being implemented by the States including Byelaws. Municipal Byelaws, Rules and Regulations by extending the validity of various licenses and approvals without levy of any fees till March 31, 2022.
About Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI)
Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) – a Northern outfit of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India is the apex body and voice of the Hospitality industry of Northern India, representing Hotels, Restaurants and Allied sector of the ten North Indian States & Union Territories. The Association was formed in these northern states and Union Territories are Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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HP Cabinet Decisions: Eligibility Criteria for BPL List, Special Task Force to Combat Drug Abuse & Other Decisions
Shimla-The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, in its meeting held on Thursday, approved the inclusion of the following families in the BPL list:
- Families with no adult members between the ages of 18 and 59.
- Women-headed families.
- Families whose head has a disability of 50 per cent or more.
- Families that worked for at least 100 days under MNREGA in the previous financial year.
- Families whose earning members are suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, thalassemia, or any other condition resulting in permanent disability.
The Cabinet also approved the establishment of a Special Task Force to combat drug abuse and dismantle drug trafficking and organized crime networks in the state through a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach.
Additionally, the Cabinet decided to promulgate an ordinance to amend Schedule 1A of the Indian Stamp Act of 1899. This amendment will facilitate the levy of a uniform stamp duty rate of 12 per cent on transfer and lease transactions secured under Section 118(2)(H) of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, with prior approval from the State Government.
The Cabinet approved a ban on the felling of trees, except for Safeda, Poplar, Bamboo, and Khair (for sale), in accordance with a ten-year program.
The Cabinet reiterated its request to the Government of India to adopt a 90:10 funding formula for the power component of the Kishau Multipurpose Project, similar to the formula adopted for its water component. Alternatively, the Cabinet proposed providing a 50-year interest-free loan for the entire amount payable by the State Government for the power component under the Inter-State Agreement.
It approved the establishment of a 1 MW Green Hydrogen Project in Nalagarh, to be executed by HPPCL.
The Cabinet sanctioned the imposition of Green Energy Development Charges for Pumped Storage Projects. A charge of ₹2.5 lakh per MW per year will be levied for the first 10 years after the project’s commissioning, increasing to ₹5 lakh per MW per year thereafter.
Approval was given to introduce the Himachal Pradesh Sadbhawana Legacy Cases Resolution Scheme 2025 to resolve pending cases, litigations, and arrears under subsumed enactments such as VAT, CST, Entry Tax, etc.
The Cabinet decided to designate the area surrounding the Tara Devi Temple in Shimla district as a Green Area.
It approved the creation and filling of 10 Junior Office Assistant (IT) posts for the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission, Shimla.
The Cabinet selected the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, to conduct computer-based tests for the recruitment of Group-C posts through the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog, Hamirpur.
Approval was granted for creating the Block Primary Education Office at Rohnat by bifurcating the existing Block Primary Education Office at Shilai in the Sirmaur district.
The Cabinet decided to transfer three-gram panchayats — Matyal, Kudal, and Dhadol — from Development Block Lambagaon to Development Block Baijnath in Kangra district to serve the residents of these areas better.
The Cabinet approved the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority Land Pooling Policy-2025.
It also approved the establishment of the Himachal Pradesh State Water Informatics Centre to collect data from domain-specific bodies, develop new databases, and disseminate comprehensive water-related information.
Shimla– Himachal Pradesh Government has initiated action against Zila Parishad cadre employees, who have been on strike since September 30 over their demands for a merger with the Panchayati Raj Department. To start with, the Govt has terminated the services of 167 Junior Engineers (JEs) and ordered fresh recruitment of Diploma or Degree holders in Civil Engineering.
According to the Director, Panchayati Raj Department, Rugved Milind Thakur, notifications have been issued to the Chief Executive Officers of Zila Parishad and the Deputy Commissioners regarding the same.
Earlier, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in a statement to the media, had said that at a time when the State was hit by a natural disaster and is in the middle of carrying out relief work and rehabilitation of the affected people was not an appropriate time for such strike. He further added that the demands of these Zila Parishad employees would be attended to when conditions are suitable. He had added that the employees wouldn’t get anywhere by using pressure tactics against the State Government.
The Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh had maintained the same argument and urged the employees to end the strike and get back to work because their absence was obstructing relief work. Anirudh Singh argued that the HP Government was serious about the demands of the employees, but their merger will have to go through various stages in accordance with the rules and legal procedure. This process would take time, he said. However, the Minister also failed to convince the striking employees to get back to work.
A few days back, a spokesperson of the HP Panchayati Raj Department had issued a statement, which said,
“Absence of technical staff was causing delayed wage payment to the MGNREGS workers as well as hampering development works being undertaken for disaster relief and restoration. A special package has been announced by the state government for the disaster-affected families. Under this package, reconstruction of houses and cowsheds and other relief and rehabilitation works, conservation activities of agriculture and horticulture land, etc. were to be done. But these works are being affected due to the absence of technical staff.”
The Department had also sought details from all the Chief Executive Officers of the Zila Parishads regarding the absence of employees in view of the delay in developmental and disaster relief works by October 18, 2023. The government termed their absence as unauthorized.
The Department said that it was taking all necessary steps to deal with the situation arising due to the absence of certain categories of employees.
“There should not be any unnecessary delay in disaster relief and rehabilitation works and the Panchayati Raj Department was determined to ensure all assistance and other benefits to the affected families on time,” the Spokesperson said in a statement.
The Department had also handed over the charge of Panchayat Secretaries temporarily to Gram Rozgar Sevaks, Sewing Teachers, and Panchayat Chowkidars. They were also given financial powers. The Panchayati Raj Department justified that these alternative arrangements were helping to restore the issuance of certificates and other routine works of the Gram Panchayats.
However, the striking employees on Friday said the alternative arrangements weren’t working at all, thus, causing a huge inconvenience to the people. The employees said that the decision of the government to sack the JEs has not affected their strike, and it will go on indefinitely till their demand for merger is met.
Why Zila Parishad Employees Are on A Strike
4,700 Zila Parishad cadre employees have been on indefinite pen-down strike since September 30, stalling the routine functions of Zila Parishads. The main demand of the Zila Parishad cadre employees is the merger with the Panchayati Raj Department so that they could avail benefits on a par with the employees of the other government departments.
These employees also said that despite a poll promise before the elections to the State Assembly, the current Congress government was denying them the new pay scale.
These employees argued that they were suffering financial loss, and they were not receiving dearness allowance (DA) and arrears while other employees were getting these benefits.
The employees are also demanding regularization under the contract policy. The strike has also received support from Panchayat representatives.
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HP Cabinet Decisions: Construction in Shimla’s Green Belt Areas Permitted, Special Relief Package Approved
Shimla-Himachal Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday held a meeting under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Here are the decisions taken by the Cabinet:
Approval to Construction in Shimla’s Green Belt Areas
The Cabinet also decided to amend the Shimla Development Plan and construction would be permitted in green belt area lying above the road, from Navbahar to Ram Chandra Chowk to Machhiwali Kothi to Christ Church to Lakkar Bazar to IGMC to Sanjauli Chowk to Navbhar where there are no trees.
As per the Government, residential construction in the Green Belt area as per the Shimla Development Plan will be permitted only on those plots in which there are no trees.
It also decided to amend HP Town and Country Planning Rules to allow construction at a distance of 5 meters and 7 meters from Nallah and khad respectively.
The Cabinet decided to provide two Biswas of land in urban areas and three Biswas of land in rural areas who have been rendered homeless and those who are not left with land suitable for the construction of new houses.
HP Govt’s Special Package Approved
Nod was given a Special Relief Package for the disaster-affected families in the State as announced on 30th September 2023 by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.Under the Special Package:
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- The compensation of Rs. 1.30 lakh for a completely damaged house would be increased five and a half times to Rs. 7 lakh.
- The compensation of Rs. 4,000 for partial damage to a ‘kutcha’ house would be increased by 25 times to Rs. 1 lakh, while the compensation for partial damage to a ‘pucca’ house to be increased by 15 and a half times, from Rs 6500 to Rs. 1 lakh.
- Compensation of Rs. 25,000 given in case of damage to a shop or dhaba would also be enhanced four times to rupees one lakh.
- The HP Government will also provide increased financial assistance of Rs. 50 thousand instead of Rs. 3000 for damage to the cowshed. T
- The state government will provide assistance of Rs. 50 thousand for damage or loss to the belongings of the tenants thereby marking a 20 times increase, from the existing Rs. 2500.
- For the loss of large milch and draught animals compensation of Rs. 55000 and for goat, pig, sheep and lamb Rs. 6000 per animal compensation would be provided.
- The compensation of Rs. 3615 per bigha for damage to agricultural and horticultural land would be increased to Rs. 10 thousand.
- The compensation on crop loss of Rs. 500 per bigha is to be increased eight times to Rs.4000.
- The financial assistance for removing silt from agricultural and horticultural land is to be enhanced from Rs. 1384.61 per bigha to Rs. 5000.
This special package would be granted from 24th June 2023 to 30th September 2023.
‘Van Mitra’ Scheme Approved
The Cabinet approved the Forest Department ‘Van Mitra’ Scheme. Under this scheme, one ‘Van Mitra’ each, in 2061 Forest Beats would be engaged. It also decided to fill up 100 vacant posts of Forest Guards in the Forest Department on a contractual basis.
It decided to enhance the honorarium of Jal Rakshaks, Multi-Purpose Workers, para fitters and para pump operators of Jal Shakti Vibhag by Rs. 500 per month raising it to Rs. 5000, Rs. 4400, Rs. 6000 and Rs. 6000 respectively.
Chintpurni Passenger Ropeway
The Cabinet approved in principle to establish a passenger ropeway system from Chintpurni Baba Mai Dass Bhawan Parking to Chintpurni Temple in PPP mode in district Una with a cost of Rs. 76.50 crore.
It also gave its approval to hire 15 e-taxis in the Transport Department.
It decided to promote Amateur and Community Radios for ‘Alternate Communication during emergencies in all districts of the State. This would provide effective information exchange between information sources, emergency managers and those impacted by disaster or emergent situations.
The Cabinet decided to reduce the Additional Goods Tax on lead by 25 paise per kg.
It also accorded approval to grant 234 routes for private operators and additional 100 routes for tempo travelers to provide better transport facilities to the people of the State.
It also gave its approval for declaring Traffic Inspectors, Motor Vehicles Inspectors, Senior Motor Vehicle Inspectors of the Transport department and Assistant Sub Inspector and Head Constable of the Police Department as designed authority to compound the offences under various Sections of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.
Dharamshala’s first Solar Power Project Inaugurated, 750-kilowatt project to generate 20,000 units a day
HP Cabinet Decisions: Eligibility Criteria for BPL List, Special Task Force to Combat Drug Abuse & Other Decisions
HP Govt Takes Action Against Striking Zila Parishad Employees, Orders Fresh Recruitment
HP Cabinet Decisions: Construction in Shimla’s Green Belt Areas Permitted, Special Relief Package Approved
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