Sikkim's plan to ban tourism till October threatens livelihood of thousands; industry demands tax breaks, remissions on loans to wade through COVID-19 pandemic
Even as COVID-19 pandemic ravages across the globe, the government of
Sikkim is planning to shutdown its tourism sector till October 2020.
The state’s tourism industry, which has already been hit hard by the
lockdown is likely to see massive job losses, if it's forced to close
shop for another five months.
Interestingly, the Himalayan state despite being a tourist hotspot
has not recorded a single positive case of COVID-19. The state
government believes that it has been successful in preventing the menace
so far by imposing strict restrictions on tourism. The dispensation is
willing to continue with the same strategy for the next five months to
ensure the safety of its citizens.
While narrating the plan to Firstpost, Jacob Khaileng, the
political secretary of chief minister said, “We always knew that the
only way to deal with this situation was preventing visitors from
different countries entering the state. We prevented foreign tourists
from visiting Sikkim long before the other states did it. We now know
that the battle against the virus is likely to grow longer. To protect
our citizens from this battle, we are applying the same strategy by
restricting tourism-related activities to win the battle against the
virus," he said.
Sikkim barred the entry of foreign tourists on 5 March and that of
domestic tourists on 17 March, days ahead of a nationwide ban on foreign
visitors was imposed by the Centre.
Sikkim has two entry points to the state, equipped with check points
where the credentials of visitors are checked. This system, which always
was in force, helped the state machinery in implementing the ban.
Though the move to restrict tourism for a span of five more months is
received well by many, it also has caused worries among thousands of
Sikkimese who are solely dependent on tourism for livelihood.
Krishna Bhandari, a 21-year-old cab driver in Gangtok, who is the
sole bread earner in his family is quite worried about repaying the car
loan he took to earn a living.
“I bought the vehicle on instalment two years back to earn a living. I
used to pay the monthly instalments while meeting both ends of my
family by carrying tourists from one spot to the other. If I cannot earn
my livelihood for the next five months, I will not be able to pay the
monthly instalments of the car loan. This may finally leave me jobless,”
he said.
There are many like Bhandari who fear that an extension of ban on tourism in the state may leave them jobless.
“It is not only the Sikkimese people
who are going to suffer because of these restrictions, but also the
non-Sikkimese who run tourism businesses in partnership with the locals.
Many hotels in Sikkim are leased out to non-Sikkimese businessman who
will bear massive losses if the tourism sector remains stagnant for the
next five months,” said Dipak Barman, a non-Sikkimese businessman based
out of Siliguri in West Bengal.
But there are also voices who though admit that another shutdown will
make things extremely difficult for the tourism industry, they favour
the move to keep the citizens safe.
“I think the government does not have many choices in dealing with
the ongoing crisis. Even if the government throws doors open for
tourists, not many of them are going to arrive. So, it is better to
address the issue of the safety of the people first,” said Norgay
Lachungpa, a hotelier in Sikkim.
But he also says that the government can take steps to minimise the
suffering by introducing rebates in taxes and interest on loans.
“The government could provide tax breaks, remissions on interest on loans and licence and permit fees,” he said.
However, mere rebates and remissions may not be sufficient to minimise the suffering of those employed in the tourism industry.
As per a study, the gross value addition contributed by the tourism
sector to the state’s gross domestic product was 7.89% in the financial
year 2013-14 and the number of persons directly employed in the industry
was 43,870, which was 7.19 percent of the state’s total population. The
impact of an extended lockdown would leave a deeper wound in the
tourism sector.
Khaileng says that when facing a global crisis like the coronavirus
pandemic, everyone has to make sacrifices, but the government is
contemplating to deal with the situation in a considerate manner.
“Neither can we let anyone die of coronavirus, nor can we let anyone
die out of hunger. Certainly, we are contemplating on the issue
seriously, more so about how to help the people in need. The demands for
tax breaks and remissions in instalment are also being discussed,
though nothing is yet finalised,” added Khaileng.
https://www.firstpost.com
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