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Kathmandu Friday March 01, 2002 Falgun 17, 2058.
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Rescue plan sees no
implementation
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Feb 28: The government last year
pledged to take strong measures to revive the ailing tourism industry following which it
announced various tourism rescue packages, much to the delight of the tourism
entrepreneurs. But now, with the passage of over three months since the announcement
finally came, the enthusiasm of the private sector seems waning.
And it is the delay in the implementation of the
much-touted tourism package that has frustrated the private tourism entrepreneurs.
However, the delay itself does not seem to come as a surprise, since the entrepreneurs are
well acquainted with the functioning of the Nepali government machinery.
"The initial euphoria of the tourism sector
that followed the government announcement last December is now dying out. And it is the
Nepali bureaucracy, which is the underlying cause for frustration," says Suman
Pandey, President of Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN)
Already over five months have passed since a
team formed under the Ministry of Home Affairs recommended guidelines and mechanisms to
implement the tourism rescue packages that the government then was planning. However, the
guidelines and mechanisms are yet to be approved, thanks largely to procedural delays and
dilly-dallying.
The team consisting of government officials,
along with representatives from the private sector, had prepared the mechanism to
implement the measures for reviving the tourism industry on September 25, 2001, long
before the actual announcement of the rescue packages.
"All the groundwork has already been done.
The government has taken its decision to implement the tourism rescue packages. And yet
the concerned authorities have not approved the mechanism only on the basis of which the
announcements can come into effect," says Pandey.
Despite the current fury of the tourism
entrepreneurs, officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs say that necessary procedures
have already been initiated to realise the government’s decisions. The government’s
decision cannot be enforced unless the ministries of Home Affairs and Law and Justice
jointly approve the mechanism.
The government, last December had lifted
trekking restrictions in six districts, including Humla, Darchula, Sankhuwasabha,
Taplejung, Solokhumbu and Bajhang. However, the ministries are yet to scrap the mandatory
provision that requires liaison officers, who are Home Ministry officials, to accompany
the trekkers.
Likewise, the government also opened 103 peaks
for mountaineering, but failed due to the constraints in the immigration acts. In
addition, the announcement to revise and slash visa fees cannot really materialise unless
the immigration rules are amended.
"All decisions will be implemented as soon
as the ministries of Home Affairs and Law and Justice approves of the decision and the
cabinet makes suitable amendments on the existing Acts and Relugations," says Tika D
Niraula, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The government last December had reduced the
visa fee for single entry from US $ 50 to US $ 30 for the duration of more than two
months, while the multiple visa fees was brought down from US $ 110 to US $ 50. According
to the new provision, foreigner holding multiple visa, that allows for residing for a
maximum of five months, could be can used for several entries within a year. |
