Hit hard by the coronavirus lockdown, the Himachal Pradesh tourism industry is working on the economic revival of the state by planning to cash in on people who want to spend their quarantine period in the hill station’s serenity. A special task force has been constituted to work out a plan to turn Himachal into a quarantine hub.
Sources say that the proposal has been made by the special task force headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, Ram Subhag Singh, who is also in charge of tourism and the matter would be taken up for discussion in the forthcoming Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The task force has also given a presentation to the Cabinet sub-committee, which found the suggestion good enough for serious consideration.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the government had received a proposal to convert some destinations into special quarantine centres to help the tourism sector recover from the losses incurred due to the pandemic adding that protocol in this regard is being chalked out.
The CM added that the state has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases with the return of people who were stuck in other states. Returnees have been quarantined at the state and district borders to control any possible spread, said the Thakur.
However, the proposal of turning the state into a quarantine hub has met objection from Congress leader Mukesh Agnihotri. The Opposition said that it will oppose any move to turn the state into a COVID-19 hub of India.
(Inputs from Pradeep Thakur, News18 Himachal)
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