Inking the truth | Shivang Satya Gupta | Editor-in-Chief
Things do not seem to have changed much for Jammu as yet despite the tall claims of the government particularly the Chief Minister himself that all the regions would get due and focused attention in the development. The grudge of Jammuites for the past six decades regarding discriminatory attitude of the successive governments which was supposedly to be over now has not been resolved if the local entrepreneurs dealing with tourism industry are to be believed. The Industry lead by All Jammu Hotels & Lodges Association (AJHLA) has alleged gross discrimination with Jammu tourism by this government too which had got the mandate to remove what Jammuites call Kashmiri domination. According to AJHLA the new government was adopting pick and chose method among the Jammu tourism industry while deliberating over the developmental issues of the sector. Even as there were reports of jubilations and celebrations over the recent meeting chaired by the secretary J&K Tourism where the AJHLA alleged that they were deliberately ignored and were not called for participation. While it is the prerogative of the organizers to call whom they consider important but the question arises as to why a region that has already suffered gross discrimination should raise such voices which could have been avoided just by involving all the leaders in the sector. The allegations on the other hand do not augur well for the health of the government particularly BJP which is representing Jammu region and voted to power to end the discrimination as this might reflect in the forthcoming civic polls which the BJP claims to fight over their achievements of the past one year. Since an important functionary of the government was chairing the meeting they should have ensured that all important organizations are invited so that all the stake holders of the industry offer suggestions and solutions to develop the industry on a rapid scale. While the assertion of the association that it was sole voice of Jammu tourism cannot be taken on face value but it is also a fact that all the associations or the leading entrepreneurs involved in the industry should have been invited to participate in the crucial meeting that was called to deliberate how to take the tourism industry to new heights and develop Jammu as an independent tourist destination. The government and its functionaries need to adopt a large hearted approach towards Jammu particularly when a region which has faced neglect is gearing up to stand on its own feet which ultimately would also count among the achievements of the government.
