By Ovais Gull
Director Tourism Jammu says ‘those deserving were empanelled, will send factual report to Advisor’
Srinagar: As the state based event management companies were allegedly by passed in the empanelment for the tourism events and festival programmes in Jammu region, the state based firms have served a notice to the Directorate of Tourism Jammu to stop the procedure and investigate the matter.
Earlier, reports said that in a brazen disregard to rules and a fallacious decision that would hit tourism sector, Directorate of Tourism Jammu has bypassed the state based event management companies and will give the empanelment to Delhi and Mumbai based firms for the year.
Sources told INS, the department of tourism Jammu recently asked for e-tendering on October 10 this year. “Directorate of Tourism, Jammu intends to organize various Fairs/Festivals/Events at different tourist destinations to promote Jammu as a prominent independent tourist destination the year 2018-19,” read the notice.
It further reads that in ‘pursuant to the above, E.O.I is invited from registered Event Management Companies for Conceptualizing and Organizing various Fairs/Festivals/Events’.
Following the notice, the valley based event management companies and from other states filed their papers.
A valley based even management company owner told INS that they received the mail from the officials that they fulfill the requirements and will have to give presentation.
“A few event management companies from valley namely Space communication, Team ideation and Atlas. After we gave presentation, they told us that in two days you will receive the formal mail,” he confided.
The company owner said that he was shocked when on Dec 17 he visited the office in Jammu and saw officials opening financial bids.
“I talked to officials but none seems to listen to us. They are bound to keep the presence of state based event management companies and that too when we had already fulfilled the requirements they had asked for. There seems no reason why they would hit the state based people of their work,” he said.
According to him nine companies had filed their papers of which three were from state.
He claimed that firms from Delhi and Mumbai are about to be given the empanelment.
Talking to INS, Amit Wanchoo, head of one among the State based event management firm said that they have served a legal notice to the Directorate and have asked them to stop the procedure and start an investigation in this regard and reveal the facts behind giving empanelment to outside firm who don’t even have their offices in the State and are ineligible for the empanelment.
Amit told INS that the legal notice was served to Directorate on December 21 this year. “Prior to serving the legal notice, we also approached to Advisor Khursheed Ganaie in this regard who also admitted flaws in the empanelment and later wrote to the Secretary Tourism who echoed the similar views and directed the Director Tourism Jammu to look into it,” he said.
However, he said that the Director Tourism Jammu is evading the queries and seems reluctant to come clear on the issues.
Notably, Joint Director (JD) Directorate of Tourism Jammu, Showkat Ahmad had told INS termed the allegations as ‘baseless’, saying that all the procedures are being followed to choose a better event management company for the events and functions.
Meanwhile, Director Tourism Jammu, Om Prakash Bhagat told INS the firms who have been empanelled were deserving, saying that while publicizing the e-tendering there was no mention that the State based firm will be given priority.
“In tourism sector, we won’t compromise on any issue at all. We want to serve best to the people therefore those deserving were given the chance,” he said.
He also admitted that the directorate has received the legal notice, saying that the investigation will not be started in this regard but factual report will be sent to Advisor and other senior officials to clear the picture over the empanelment of the companies for the events.
