Ayodhya: Ahead of the consecration ceremony at the temple here next month, hoteliers in the city say they have been advised to cancel bookings of the general public and keep rooms available for VVIPs.
In a review meeting chaired by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath last week officials were asked to look into bookings made for 22 January 2024, the day of the consecration ceremony, said a state government official who did not wish to be named.
The official added that the idea was to make accommodation available for the 8,000 attendances including actors, businessmen, saints and VVIPs.
Asked about the claims by hoteliers and sections of the media, Municipal commissioner and vice chairman of the Ayodhya Development Authority Vishal Sharma told ThePrint: “We can’t cancel bookings of people offhand. CM Yogi ji’s intention was to control the hoarding of people and manage speculative pricing. We have enough space for the VVIPs.”
City-based hoteliers, however, insisted that they have been advised to cancel bookings of those not invited to the ceremony.
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‘Money will be refunded’
Many prominent hotels in the city including The Ramayana, Krinoscco Hotel, Cygnett Collection KK Hotel and Park Inn By Radisson have either cancelled or postponed bookings ahead of the ceremony.
“We have cancelled one booking and there are seven bookings through Make My Trip which we are reviewing. If they don’t have the invitee pass, these bookings will also be cancelled and the money will be refunded,” said an employee at The Ramayana, adding that all 50 rooms in the hotel have been booked for VVIPs ahead of the ceremony.
An employee at the Krinoscco Hotel said discussions are ongoing with travel websites over cancellations, adding that guests will be informed via email if their booking has been cancelled. “All 60 rooms at our hotel have been taken over by the government. We have cancelled 10 bookings till now and are reviewing others,” said the employee.
Meanwhile, Cygnett Collection KK Hotel is in the process of postponing bookings and requesting guests to shift their dates, a hotel employee told ThePrint.
“We are explaining to the guests that even if you come on the day of consecration of Ram temple, you won’t be allowed to visit the temple,” added a manager at one of the prominent hotels in Ayodhya.
‘Black marketing of hotel rooms’
A city-based hotelier who did not wish to be named said: “Even if we don’t have any guests and all our rooms are empty, we are not allowed to have any bookings. Doesn’t matter if we lose our earnings for that day.”
Another said hotels in Ayodhya have been advised to follow this protocol until 15 February, since saints and other invitees are expected to visit the city in large numbers over the next two months.
On the day of the consecration ceremony, all of Ayodhya is expected to come to a halt amid heightened presence of security forces. “A proper check has been kept by a team of policemen and officials who have the list of all the guests ahead of the event. The police visit our hotel everyday,” said the employee of Krinoscco Hotel quoted earlier.
Authorities, however, maintain that their advisory has been misinterpreted.
Municipal commissioner Vishal Sharma said the administration is looking into the black marketing of hotel rooms as during such grand events, hotels tend to loot ordinary people by charging hefty amounts for the stay. “We can’t infringe on the rights of the hoteliers. Our intention is to ensure everything is smooth on the day of the inauguration and that the black marketing of hotel rooms is stopped,” he told ThePrint.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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