CRPF rebuff CM’s assurance over forces evacuation from hotels

A day after Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Syeed stated that government will ensure all hotels in Srinagar city that have been occupied by security forces are evacuated, Inspector General Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)  K S Bhandari Thursday ruled out any immediate possibility of vacating the hotels and gust houses.

Talking to Kashmir News Service  Bhandari said, “Nobody has officially approached us regarding this matter till now. But before coming to us it is a responsibility of the state government to provide us with a suitable alternative. Until and unless the government will not provide the alternative accommodations to our troops it is not possible for us to vacate hotels,”

While accepting many hotels and gust houses are under the occupation CRPF he said, “CRPF battalions are putting up in around 15 different hotels and gust houses. State Government should understand that in absence of any proper accommodation we are left with no option other than to live in the tents,”

Interestingly on Wednesday Mufti had assured tourism players to get all hotels in Srinagar city evacuated from the occupation of security forces.

Interacting with a delegation of tour and travel associations of Kashmir at his Jammu residence, the chief minister had assured them to take all necessary steps to revive tourism sector in the state. “All the hotels, guest houses that are under the occupation of security forces will be evacuated and thrown open for tourism activates,” the CM had said.

It is pertinent to mention here that in the past the directions had been passed by Home Ministry to CRPF to vacate hotels after a police report wherein they had mentioned that tourists face accommodation problem in Srinagar and other tourist resorts. According to the report, police had mentioned that around 35 per cent of tourist accommodations were under the occupation of forces and at some Government offices are housed in the buildings meant for tourists.