Shifting of Himachal tourism development office from Shimla to Dharamshala protested

Shimla Aug 22 (PTI) Hundreds of people associated with the tourism industry in Shimla on Friday staged a protest outside the deputy commissioner's office against the state government's decision to shift Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) from Shimla to Dharamshala, and demanded that the government take back the decision.

Raising slogans against the state government, the protesters termed the decision as anti-tourism, anti-people and against the interests of HPTDC employees.

During the protest, Harish Vyas, president of the Guide and Tour & Travel Association, said that relocating the HPTDC headquarters from Shimla, a town known globally as a premier tourist destination for over 200 years, will have a severely adverse impact on tourism not only in Shimla but across the state.

"Shimla contributes a significant share of revenue from the tourism and hospitality sector in the state and is a major hub for domestic and international tourists. The decision to shift the office is neither administratively sound nor practically viable, and appears to be politically motivated," he said.

Vyas also said that Shimla has the highest number of people who are directly and indirectly dependent on tourism-related activities in the state.

"Moving the HPTDC office could gravely disrupt the livelihoods of lakhs of people. Additionally, such a move would increase operational costs for the corporation, create inefficiencies in administration and make it difficult for top officials like the chief secretary, tourism secretary and finance secretary, most of whom operate out of the state secretariat in Shimla, to manage the corporation's affairs effectively," he said.

The protesters also warned the government of intensifying their movement if it failed to agree to their demand. They also announced another major protest to be held outside the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on August 25 over the issue. PTI COR KSS KSS