By PTI
UDAIPUR/JAIPUR: More than half the hotel bookings made for the next two months in Udaipur have been cancelled as a fallout of the gruesome killing of a tailor, stakeholders claimed.
This has come as a major setback for the tourism industry, which is the main source of livelihood for a majority of people in the city.
They fear the incident, which has deeply hurt the image of the city on a large scale, will have a negative impact on the tourism season beginning in September.
“Immediately after the incident and curfew, guests started cancelling the advance bookings. I had a good number of visitors for weekends during the monsoon season in July and August, but more than 50 percent bookings for the next two months have been cancelled in the last five to six days,” Sudarshan Dev Singh, senior vice president of Hotel Association of Udaipur and owner of Karohi Haveli told PTI.
He said the tourism industry has suffered for two years due to COVID-19 and the stakeholders were expectations good business this year, but the murder dented such prospects.
“Udaipur has been a very peaceful city and no such hate crimes have happened. This is a setback not only for Udaipur but for entire Rajasthan where tourism is a key industry,” Sanjay Kaushik, secretary of Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators, said in Jaipur.
“Many of the tourists who had done advance bookings for Udaipur have cancelled their visits in view of the incident. Apart from attractive places, peaceful environment is one of the key reasons that attract tourists, but this incident has created a negative impression,” he said.
Kaushik, too, said bookings are being cancelled.
Surrounded by lush green places and hills, Udaipur is a well-known tourist destination known for its serene atmosphere, picturesque locations and lakes, and enjoys a special place on the country’s tourism map.
Lakhs of tourists, both foreigners and domestic, visit the city of lakes every year.
It is also a hub of handicrafts.
ALSO READ | Photo of Udaipur accused with BJP leader goes viral, party denies connect
Most tourists in Udaipur visit Jagdish Chowk and Hathi Pole area, and Maldas street, where the barbaric killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal took place on Tuesday, is located nearby.
Most of the shops located in the area are of handicrafts, textiles and jewellery.
“The image of Udaipur has been badly tarnished and I am getting calls from my friends as well as clients from different parts of the country, who are expressing surprise that such extremists and radical elements are openly executing murder in such a brutal manner.
This impression is certainly a cause of worry for all of us,” Devendra Javliya, a handicrafts trader in Hathi Pole area, said.
Tourist guide Gajendra Singh Rathore said, “We all are shocked by the incident. Generally, crimes take place in every city but this was extreme and has shaken people across the country. Tourists take good memories from Udaipur and some of them have even bought properties here just because of the calm and peace in the city, but after the incident, a very bad impression about the city has been created,” he said.
“Udaipur has been a top wedding destination, a famous and safe tourist spot, but these two extremists have demolished the city’s image. They not just murdered Kanhaiya, they hit the livelihood of lakhs of people who are associated with the tourism trade directly and indirectly,” he said.
Additional Director General of Rajasthan Police Dinesh M N, who served as the Superintendent of Police in Udaipur from 2004 to 2007, said trust is needed to be restored in the city.
“Udaipur is known for its tourism and a large number of people are associated with this trade. We need to restore the atmosphere of trust in order to normalise the situation. The situation of mistrust is not in the interest of people and the city,” he said.
The officer is currently camping in Udaipur to handle the law and order situation.
Kanhaiya Lal was killed on Tuesday afternoon by two cleaver-wielding men, who also posted a grisly video of the crime online claiming responsibility for the murder.
The two accused Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad were arrested hours after the incident while fleeing on a motorcycle.
Two more people, who were allegedly involved in a recce of Kanhaiya’s shop and in the alleged conspiracy to kill him, were also arrested later on.
They are in the custody of the National Investigating Agency, which is probing the case.
Meanwhile, curfew was relaxed for 10 hours on Sunday in Udaipur. However, mobile internet services remained suspended.
Curfew was imposed in seven police station areas of Udaipur following the killing of the tailor on Tuesday and incidents of violence.
The situation is becoming normal in the city.
ALSO READ | WATCH | Udaipur murder accused attacked by mob outside court, clothes ripped
Therefore, it was decided to relax curfew from 8 am to 6 pm, a district administration official said.
Markets opened and routine activities resumed.
Normal life is being restored in the city.
Peace has been maintained by the local people and the curfew should be lifted completely, a local resident said.
However, markets in Ajmer remained closed on Sunday as a result of a bandh call given by Hindu organisations against the Udaipur incident.
A demonstration has also been organised by Hindu outfits in Jaipur demanding the death penalty for the murderers.
