If so many pilgrims visited the city, where have they stayed? Sharma who owns a 58-room hotel close to the Ghats says that he had only 18 rooms occupied in the last three days.
“The streets of Haridwar were totally deserted on the last three days of the Kumbh,” Mr. Sharma claimed. The Administration has claimed that over 30 lakh pilgrims visited Haridwar on April 12, the Somvati Amavasya day; 13 lakh on April 14, the Mesh Sankranti Day.
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“Generally, pilgrims come to Haridwar for the Somvati Amavasya and stay a day more for the third ‘Shahi Snan' on Mesh Sankranti. They don’t run away. Then where has more than half of the pilgrims gone?” he asked. The government data is fake, Mr. Sharma claimed—just a publicity stunt by the bureaucracy to hide their failure and justify the investment.
More than the lost business, what is really bothering hoteliers is the negative publicity that the city is receiving in all the social media channels. “Haridwar is portrayed as the new hotspot for Covid-19. This is highly damaging for the destination,” he said.
News Courtesy: ET
