Tourists asked to stay away from Kaghan valley

MANSEHRA: The district administration has warned tourists to stay away from Kaghan valley and Shogran or else the violators would face the legal action.

“The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has banned tourism activities in province and tourists have been directed not to visit Kaghan valley, Shogran and other such areas,” a circular issued by Deputy Commissioner Aurangzeb Haider Khan said on Sunday. The circular was issued despite public holiday following the protest of the hoteliers asking the government to open the tourism industry.

The hoteliers took to the streets after the Assistant Commissioner Balakot Nawab Sameer sealed many hotels in Naran in Kaghan valley. He warned the tourists to leave the valley or else law would take its due course. The hoteliers, who set tyres on fire at Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road, were demanding restoration of tourism activities in the valley.

Traders laud waiver of licence fee for 2020-21

Business community has lauded the tehsil municipal administration for waiving off traders’ licence fee for the ongoing financial year 2020-21.

“Because of the coronavirus, traders have been suffering the financial crunch and in this situation, waiving off traders’ license fee is an important step taken by the tehsil municipal administration,” stated Haroonur Rasheed, the former president of trader’s body. A group of traders led by Rasheed said that they had moved an application with the tehsil municipal administration, seeking waiver of license fee and the TMA then waived off the said tax on over 120 kinds of businesses.

“We have also appealed both federal and provincial governments to provide relief to traders in taxes received by them from the business fraternity and provide them interest-free loans,” said Rasheed. Mohammad Hanif Awan, also a former president of the union, said the government should relax the two-day shutter down for the non-essential business on occasion of Eidul Azha. “The business community has been following standard operational procedures in order to contain Covid-19, but still suffering the brunt of prolonged shutter down and government should allow them to keep open our businesses for Eid shopping on Saturday and Sunday too,” said Awan.

Govt urged to restore tourism activities in Kaghan

The workers attached with hotels and picnic spots in Kaghan valley have demanded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to restore the tourism activities before the Eidul Azha.

“We have been following the standard operational procedures set by government to contain spread of coronavirus in Kaghan valley but the government is yet to restore tourism activities in the province,” Muhammad Amjad, a tea stall vender in Malkandi area of Kaghan valley, said on Sunday. Three employees at the tea stall were sitting idle, waiting for the customers, saying their business was mostly dependent on tourists as locals little contributed to their daily income.

Amjad said that the chief minister during his visit to Kaghan valley announced to restore tourism activities soon after Eidul Azha. “We have been without work since November last year when Kaghan valley was completely blocked because of the heavy snowfall,” he said. Muhammad Khan, a tour operator from Islamabad, said that hundreds of thousands of workers, apart from hoteliers, were rendered jobless. “The government should restore tourism activities before Eidul Azha as the current season is going to be wrapped up by mid next month,” said Khan.