Tourist has to get three permissions from three places, how tourism can be developed in Kutch? Kutchis write to Modi

Kutch was hot tourist destination for foreign tourists even in past, but recent advertisements featuring Amitabh Bachchan, and Rann Utsav’s success is not attracting even more foreign travelers here. However there are some strange procedural issues that the administration has to sort out for lesser hurdle to the tourists.

Tourist guide welfare association of Kutch’s President Pravin Dangera and Secretary Salim Vazeer have written a letter to the Chief Minister demanding solution of permission related issues for travelers coming from out side.

Earlier the tourists used to get permission to enter the prohibited border area of the district through Bhuj based District Police office. However this easier procedure has been made tougher by the government in recent past. While Bhuj based office has been closed, the tourists have to obtain permission of visiting Banni, Dhordo white rann, and Kalo dungar at Bhirandiara check post. Here tourists have to wait in queue on road to get permission. Suppose if a tourist wants to visit the areas of east Kutch, they are asked to go to East Kutch DSP office for that. And suppose if some tourists want to go to Western Kutch areas, they have to go to Bhuj to get that permission. Thus there are total three permissions needed to visit entire Kutch.

According to Dangera and Vazeer, the procedure to visit other border areas such as Leh, Laddakh, Kargil, Arunachal Pradesh etc is much easier and one can get permit even in advance.

In Kutch, presently whole one day is wasted in permission related procedures at three different places which is not matching to good tourism practice.