By IANS
Agra : Incidents of unrest in the ‘golden triangle’ of India’s tourist circuit – Agra, Jaipur and Delhi – is adversely affecting the flow of visitors, with hotels in the city of the Taj reporting around 70 percent cancellations in the past month.
The virtual closure of the Taj Mahal in August due to street violence, followed by the fear generated by the gang rape of two Japanese girls and now the Gujjar community protests on the Agra-Jaipur highway have collectively damaged the prospects of a profitable season that the tourism industry had anticipated.
Sources in Agra’s Hotels and Restaurants Association and the Tourism Guild here say that a number of tourist groups have shifted to Bangalore and Goa in view of the unrest here.
The tourist season has already begun but hotels here have several vacant rooms as many tourists are avoiding the circuit.
Rajeev Tiwari, president of the Federation of Travel Associations, is a worried man following reports of large-scale – nearly 70 percent – cancellations. Agra got around 2.5 million tourists last year, with the Taj drawing at least 12,000 visitors a day.
Tiwari said the Supreme Court should, on the lines of its recent directive in Tamil Nadu asking Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi not to go ahead with a state-wide shutdown, issue a similar directive insulating national highways from rampaging mobs.
“The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department should approach the apex court to secure a directive against agitators who block the highways,” Tiwari told IANS.
“The image of tourism in the golden triangle segment had taken quite a beating this year after a week-long traffic disruption three months ago on the Jaipur highway.”
The Gujjar community in Rajasthan had held violent protests from May 29 to June 4 across the state and blocked national highways demanding tribal status for better employment and educational opportunities. The Meenas, who are opposed to the classification of Gujjars as tribals, clashed with the protestors. The resulting caste violence and police firing claimed 25 lives.
The stage appears set for another confrontation between the Meenas and Gujjars demanding reservation and people in the tourism industry are a worried lot.
Gujjar demonstrators Sunday damaged railway tracks forcing several trains between Delhi and Mumbai to pass via Agra. Fishplates at several stretches were found removed and the Kota-Mumbai route was badly affected.
Meanwhile, a mahapanchayat of the Meena community is scheduled to be held at Karauli on Oct 14. According to knowledgeable sources, the event could attract at least 500,000 Meenas from neighbouring districts.
The Karauli area, being a religious centre, is also a stronghold of both the communities and this could pose a threat to the law and order situation.
If the already explosive situation takes a violent turn, the national highway between Jaipur and Agra could be seriously affected resulting in huge losses to the tourism industry.