Srinagar 23 Sep(KNB): After three years of pandemic outbreak, Government is yet to disburse the service charges incurred against hotels who provided spaces in the first deadly wave. The hotel owners are running from pillar to post, alleging, their plight falls to deaf ears.
The hotels were hired by the Government Medical college Srinagar for accomadation for the resident doctors fot GMC Srinagar, for Covid duties. An order declared that the ‘expenditure, there of, shall be borne by the government of the Jammu and Kashmir under SDRF fund’. It is dated 32-05-2021.
The letter from the GMC dated 14-03-2021 reads that the hired hoteliers demanded amount of to the tune of 3517908 from the period of 31 May to October 2021, ‘and the concerned authorities have not released any claim on account under the said head till date.’
“Accordingly you are requested to pass the direction in favour of hoteliers in light of hte govt orders,” it reads.
In another letter from the GMC dated 13-07-2021, it was again urging to pass on directions to disburse amount owed to hoteliers, reading that ‘the hoteliers have submitted bills to the tuneof Rs 870976 only.
“Pertinent ot mention that the funds under SDRF have not been released by the concerned in favur of GMC Srinagar during the current financial year 2021-22 for the purpose till date. The earlier funds released under the said scheme have been exhausted and the utilization certificate, expenditure statement stands submitted to the concerned quarters,” the letter reads.
“We have been running to all concerned quarters but they are playing a cruel joke with us,” said a hotel owner, claiming that they owe huge amount to market.
They said that ‘banking upon government funds they took huge loans from market to run the spaces during covid lockdown.’
“The supply chains were all provided to us by market as they believed that once government releases funds they too will earn out of it, however we are at verge of bankruptcy now and no one is listening to us,” a hotel owner told KNB.
They are urging LG Manoj Sinha to intervene personally so that they could have a sigh of relief.
Despite repeated calls, the concern department couldn’t be contacted for their comments.(KNB)