Rajasthan tourism minister Vishvendra Singh slams department officials for abysmal financial condition of the sector, failure to formulate revival plan and not planning any new projects

Rajasthan’s tourism minister Vishvendra Singh has expressed his public displeasure at the functioning of the tourism department in the state. The coronavirus outbreak has severely impacted the sector, counted as one of the major sources of Rajasthan’s revenue.

In a series of tweets, the minister questioned the indifferent working of the department officials and their shortcomings while urging chief minister Ashok Gehlot to take harsh action against the errant officials.

“I have maintained a silence on too many things for too long, going against my temperament and work ethics. But, my chief minister, has always advocated transparency and in that spirit, I am now forced to acknowledge the shortcomings of the tourism department in the last year and a half,” he tweeted.

“The department officials are indifferent towards achieving high tourism growth and introducing new products, despite my constant prodding and initiatives. In the last one and a half years, the department has been unable to introduce a new tourism policy,” he further tweeted.

Singh said that not a single new tourist guide has been recruited since the Gehlot-led government came to power and the department has not been able to bag even a solitary Swadesh Darshan project of the Union Ministry of Tourism.

He expressed disappointment about lack of a revival plan for the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) while also regretting the non-appointment of new tourism officers during his tenure. He was concerned that not a single new tourism project has been initiated in the state, in the recent past.

Singh was critical of the department’s “abysmal financial condition” amid the lack of “training and reorientation” of tourism department officials and the industry stakeholders.

He alleged that the officials do not have a clue about reviving the sector.