Govt identifies 10 tourism properties to be outsourced

Srinagar, Mar 6: After setting up a panel for outsourcing tourism properties, the Jammu & Kashmir government has so far identified 10 assets for which they have floated tenders.
A top official said that the administration has identified 10 properties of the tourism department for which they have floated out the tenders for their outsourcing.
“As of now, the Request for Proposal (RFP) of only 10 tourism properties has been rolled out for outsourcing, and bids have been invited through a tendering process,” the official said.
He informed that the tourism properties to be outsourced are almost equal from both Kashmir and Jammu provinces.
Asked if more tourism properties are to be outsourced, the official said they are examining it. “More properties are likely to be outsourced in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to a letter by Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) to the Secretary of Royal Springs Golf course Srinagar, the J&K administration has also proposed to ‘outsource’ the famed Royal Spring Golf Course (RSGC) through public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.
In a letter to the Secretary RSGC, the Managing Director of JKTDC said some properties of the corporation and Directorate of Tourism Jammu and Kashmir are proposed to be outsourced on a PPP mode.
“Royal Springs Golf Course (RSGC) has also been included in the list of outsourcing,” the letter reveals.
However, the officials confirmed that the Request for Proposal for RSGC has not been issued as of now and that tendering/bidding process of only 10 tourism properties has been initiated.
MD JKTDC, while speaking about the letter to Secretary RSGC, said the communication was sent to seek information on assets.
Notably, Jammu & Kashmir’s government set up a panel to decide the mechanism of outsourcing the identified assets of the Tourism Department in a phased manner.
However, in February this year, the government ordered the reconstitution of the committee and selected a new 17-member committee, appointing the Administrative Secretary Industries and Commerce Department as its chairman.