41% of hotel rooms for Commonwealth Games in NCR completed

Union Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee today said that against a target of 9597 rooms of additional accommodation in Delhi for next year's Commonwealth Games, 41 per cent, or 3952 rooms, had been completed and had started operations.

Mr Banerjee was speaking at the 24th meeting of the Task Force with various land owning agencies of the National Capital Region (NCR) to review the progress on hotel projects and other accommodation coming up for the Games.

Mr Banerjee directed that all ongoing projects in the 2, 3 and 4-star category should be commissioned and classified by March 31 next year in order to avail of the five-year tax holiday announced by the Government.

Various land-owning agencies were advised to pursue their hotel projects with the promoters to ensure they were completed on time much ahead of the Games, slated to be held in October.

To cater to the increased tourism inflow during the Games, it is estimated that an additional 30,000 rooms in Delhi and NCR region would be required. Apart from the hotel rooms, about 11,000 rooms will be made available from the approved guest houses whose services are being upgraded and the staff being trained under the Ministry’s scheme of Capacity Building for Service Providers.

Apart from that about 3000 rooms would be available from the Bed & Breakfast/Homestays, an official press release said.

Additional accommodation will also be provided in the form of 5,500 Delhi Development Authority (DDA) flats at Vasant Kunj and Jasola in the capital, which are being furnished by the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).

Mr Banerjee also underlined the need for intensive review and inspections of the ongoing hotel projects by senior officers of the land-owning agencies so that obstacles in the way of their timely completion could be removed, the release added.

NNN