Rahiba R Parveen
SRINAGAR: Hotel and restaurant owners in Kashmir have called for a two-day shutdown against a drive to seal facilities with improper sewage treatment.
The hotels will ask all its guests to check out on Monday when the shutdown begins and have also decided not to rent out rooms to new tourists for two days.
Restaurants have been asked not to sell food.
Faiz Bakshi, Chairman of the coordination committee of Hotel Associations, which has around 1000 members, said the move is to protest against warnings issued by the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).
A high court directive has asked the SPCB to seal all hotels which don’t have Sewage Treatment Plants installed.
The installations is mandatory for the hotels with rooms numbering 20 or above, while as those with seven to 19 rooms need to take consent and install safety tanks for pollution control.
Around 188 hotels in the Srinagar city have been issued the notices for their closure.
“They have already sealed hotels across Gulmarg and Pahalgam,” Mr Bakhshi told FreePress.
The hoteliers’ demands are also before the High Court. They have demanded that the STPS be installed by the government, and that too common between two or three hotels.
“The Government is obliged to install common STP’s under Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission scheme. They are supposed to cover entire commercial and domestic sectors for the safeguard of environment,” Mr Bakshi said.
The Hotels Association has approached the government for intervention. “We are very much concerned in preserving and protecting the environment of the valley. We held meetings for the last one month and have been approaching the government,” Mr Bakshi added.
Imtiaz Ahmad, a hotel owner in the upmarket residency road, told FreePress that he will take part in the strike.
“We will not entertain new guests,” he said.
But he said those who have prior bookings and are already in the hotel will not be checked out.
