Repayment of loans taken by the people under the Veer Chand Garhwali scheme (VCGS) for running different tourism activities on time in the aftermath devastating natural disaster, comes as a serious cause of concern for them.
More so, with the people showing inability to pay their loan installments, State Tourism Development Council (TDC) that runs the popular Veer Chand Garhwali Scheme has also suffered a loss of about Rs 2 crore under the VCGS so far this year.
While talking to The Pioneer, AK Dwivedi, Joint Director of the TDC said, that despite the damage caused to the infrastructure by the natural disaster, people who had taken loan to create the said infrastructure, will have to pay the bank loan granted under the VCGS.
“In this scenario, the TDC has already suffered a loss of Rs 2 crore under the VCGS. However, we are now going to urge the State Government to grant some concessions or tax relief so that the people could pay their loan dues on time,” he added.
The process is on and we are going to submit a proposal in this regard to the Government soon, he informed.It is to note that the State Government grants loans to the people including the educated but unemployed youths to run certain tourism activities in the State under the VCGS.
However, in this process, for example, people who had deployed their vehicles purchased on loan under the VCGS, in tourism sector, are also facing a tough time to pay their vehicle loans due to poor condition of the tourism sector in the State this time.
It should be noted that in view of the difficulties being faced by the transporters operating in the tourism sector, the regional transport office (RTO), Haldwani, had also recommended hundred per cent concession on tax for six months starting from June to the transporters plying in Pithoragarh, as it is the worst disaster affected district in the Kumaon division under the proposed tax concession plan.
Similarly, the aforesaid department had also recommended three months special tax concession from June onwards for transporters working in rest of the Kumaon Divisions, as the officials concerned informed. But nothing has been done so far in this regard.
However, with tourist season now being at its fag end, it won't be so easy for the tourism sector to recover the losses it had suffered in the devastating natural disaster that the mountain State faced this rainy season.
Yet, the officials concerned of the UTDC have maintained that a majority of the tourism spots are still safe in Uttarakhand. Therefore, we are of the view that the tourists must visit the hill State, they added.
About 90 per cent of our tourist destinations are still safe. So we appeal to the visitors to come to Uttarakhand as it is safe to visit the hill State, said Dwivedi.