Tourist season on, guest houses sans water, power

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, April 13

The tourist season in Dharamsala is in full swing. But more than 100 small guest house owners in upper areas, including Dharamkot and Bhagsunag, are without power and water connections. 

Lokesh, who runs a guest house from his residence in Dharamkot, said notices issued by the Tourism Department clearly stated that the guest house owners should get maps passed by authorised architects and the Municipal Council authorities.

“They have been asked to make necessary amendments in buildings as per the corporation’s guidelines  and then register those with the Tourism Department. If small guest house owners of upper Bhagsu and Dharamkot follow the instructions of the Tourism Department, they will have to spend Rs 2 lakh, which was a substantial amount for them,” he said.

The guest houses in Dharamkot and upper Bhagsu have grown over a period of time. Locals have converted their small houses into guest houses, each having two to three rooms. Earlier, since the approach to these areas was by foot, mostly foreigners used to stay in these guests houses. But with the passage of time and better road connectivity, these spots have become a favourite with domestic tourists as well.

Mukesh, a tourist and regular visitor to the area, said the way the guest houses had developed in Dharamkot and upper Bhagsu, it was an ideal example of how local communities should be involved to develop eco-friendly tourism. Commercial hotels that are now coming up in the area are in fact late entries. Big hotels that consume more resources and cause damage to the ecology should not come up in such areas, he said.

The Tourism Department is ill-equipped and has only three regular employees. Basically, the mandate of the department was to promote tourism. With its limited budget and staff, the department had not contributed much to the development of the state. 

The previous BJP government had floated a policy of home stays in the state. The idea was to encourage people in rural areas to earn from tourism-related activities. It was proposed that there would be no taxes on home stays.  Those running the guest houses said they were ready to register with the department. 

Told to make amendments 

• Guest house owners have been issued notices by the Tourism Department
• They have been asked to get maps passed by authorised architects and civic authorities
• Owners need to make necessary amendments in buildings as per the corporation’s guidelines
• Small guest house owners of upper Bhagsu and Dharamkot will have to spend Rs 2 lakh if they follow the orders