New Delhi: The J&K government’s Pahalgam Development Authority awarded a 3-year contract to a private operator in April last year to run tourism in the Baisaran picnic spot—where terrorists killed 25 tourists and a local last month—officials told ThePrint, days after the Centre indicated the authorities weren’t aware of any such activities at the popular site.
The minimum reserve bid for the contract was Rs 1.01 crore, records accessed by ThePrint show. Sources said the spot was awarded to a contractor from Bijbehara for Rs 3 crore.
This spot, which charges an entry fee of Rs 35 for adults and Rs 15 for children, is one of many across Kashmir—including 14 in Pahalgam, such as the popular Aru Valley Park and Betab Valley—that have been outsourced to private contractors for maintenance and revenue collection and are operational throughout the year. Other such spots include the Nishat Bagh, Tulip Garden, Shalimar Bagh, Doodhpathri, Mughal Gardens and Gulmarg.
J&K government officials said the practice of outsourcing these tourist sites has been going on for many years. While the process was conducted through open physical auctions until 2016, it shifted online after that.
The records accessed by ThePrint for the 2024 auction appear to contradict what the Modi government reportedly told opposition leaders at an all-party meeting convened on 24 April.
When asked about a complete lack of security at a site where so many tourists were holidaying, the government had reportedly told opposition leaders that local tour operators had opened the route to tourists “without informing the administration, due to which there was no deployment of security personnel in the area”.
A J&K government official now says if a private party had been awarded the contract to run the site, it is under no obligation to inform anyone about its operations.
“If a contract has been formally allotted to a contractor following a bidding process, then there is no possibility of the site having restricted entry. It is the contractor’s prerogative to operate the location as he sees fit. He is not required to inform anyone about its operations. The spot remains open throughout the year, even during some of the colder, snow-covered months. And this spot is part of a formal tender that the government releases,” the official said.
ThePrint contacted Additional Director of Tourism, Jahid Azad, who declined to comment stating that the spot is an asset of the Pahalgam Tourism Department and that he had no information regarding it.
ThePrint also sent queries to Director of Tourism, Raja Yaqoob Farooq, seeking clarification on whether contractors are required to obtain prior permission or notify authorities before opening the spot to tourists. However, he did not respond to calls or messages. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
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‘Many such tourist spots are outsourced’
Speaking to ThePrint, another senior government functionary said it is a regular practice in the Union territory for all such spots to be outsourced to contractors who are responsible for their maintenance and revenue collection. However, their security is not within the contractors’ mandate and this responsibility lies with the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
While the contractor pays the bid amount to the government in three instalments over 3 years, any profit made beyond that is retained by the contractor. This contract is for 3 years, extendable for 2 more, the officer explained.
“The contractors can keep a ticket, the price of which is regulated by the authority and also take rentals from the restaurants, shacks, people who set up ziplines or other games for the tourists in the area,” the official said.
In Baisaran as well, there is a ticket counter at the park entrance where visitors must purchase a ticket to access the area. The entry and exit points are regulated and the entire park is fenced to ensure controlled access, as it is a ticketed site.
A contractor of one such spot, who wished to not be named, said, “The bids for these spots opened in March (2024) and the entire process is online. All contractors were allotted the spots in April-May and they were asked to make a deposit.”
He said the upkeep of the site as well as the safety and security of the asset including those of visitors and tourists are the responsibility of the contractors who also have to ensure the guests are not harassed, overcharged, or injured on the trampoline or zipline. The deployment of security personnel, however, is not part of their mandate, he said.
The allotment letters for these spots, reviewed by ThePrint, outline the terms and conditions for all the allottees. These include setting up an eco-friendly food point and maintaining sanitation and cleanliness. The letter also states that the allottees will be held responsible for any damage to the property resulting from a mishap.
According to one of the terms mentioned in the bid document, “The safety and security of the asset including visitors / tourists shall be prime responsibility of the allottee…. No political or religious event will be allowed in the premises without the proper permission of the Authority.”
It also says the authority will not be responsible for any loss of revenue due to hartals, blocking of roads and natural disasters.
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‘E auction, advance payments—how it works?’
According to an e-bidding notice issued by the Office of the Chief Executive Officer of the Pahalgam Development Authority, dated 7 March, 2024, a copy of which is with ThePrint, bids were invited for 14 locations, including the Baisaran picnic spot.
To participate, bidders were required to first register on the GeM (Government e-Marketplace) portal and submit necessary documents, including Income Tax Returns (ITR) for the previous financial year, PAN card and Aadhaar card. Following this, the e-bidding process takes place.
The outsourcing contract is valid for 3 years, with the possibility of an extension for an additional 2 years. If extended, the annual bid amount will increase by a compounded 10 percent per annum, based on the originally offered bid amount, according to the tender document.
For payment to the government, the contractor must pay 40 percent of the total bid amount for the first year (2024–2025) within 7 days of the declaration of the successful bidder.
In the second year, another 40 percent is to be paid, and the remaining 20 percent is to be paid in the third year, according to the tender document.
“All these payments must be made in the month of March, before March 31 every year,” the contractor said.
On 22 April, a group of four terrorists of The Resistance Front (TRF), an LeT proxy, emerged onto the park from the jungles surrounding it, singled out male tourists and sprayed them with bullets. Twenty-five tourists, mostly Hindus, were fatally shot in the ghastly terror attack while a local pony wala, a Muslim, was also killed.
The government called an all-party meet on 24 April on the matter.
After the meeting, Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told ThePrint, “The government told us that the route usually opens in June during the Amarnath Yatra as pilgrims headed to the holy site take rest at this location. However, this time, local tour operators started accepting bookings for tourists interested in going to the spot in April itself. From 20 April, tourists started going there. The local authorities were not aware of this development and resultantly, there was virtually no security deployment there,”
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
I can believe that the government didn’t know, or rather that one part knew and another didn’t. Information loss is an obvious phenomenon in organizations of that size. Remove all the unnecessary activities e.g. the continuing license raj and the government will become much better at core functions like security.
If the government really didn’t know it reeks of ignorance. And if it really knew, which is more probable, the government is dangerous. Either way not good. No sensible citizen should ever believe government when it claims J&K is normal. The government hasn’t been able to even sort out Pakland for good.