Himachal CM orders homestay registration portal to be set up in 10 days

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday directed officials to make an online portal for registration of homestay units in the state within 10 days.

Chairing a meeting here to review the tourism projects in the state, he said it should be ensured that payments be made online in all Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) hotels, General Administrative Department guesthouses and rest houses of various departments.

According to an official statement, the chief minister ordered preparation of an online portal for registration of homestay units within 10 days. He also instructed to issue tenders for hiring competent software firms for preparation of user friendly online portals across all departments.

 

Sukhu also issued directions for empanelling professional architects both for preparation of project designs for Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Tourism Development Board projects, the statement said.

"I want to ensure that there should be no administrative limitations as far as promotion of the tourism industry is concerned and the procedures to be made more simplified for ease of doing business," the chief minister said.

He also suggested making few changes in proposed rules of the Tourism Investment Promotion Council (TIPC), which was discussed at length. It was discussed in the meeting that the under-construction hotels will also be considered for inclusion in the TIPC.

The chief minister also desired to expedite the process of operation and maintenance of loss-making HPTDC units to facilitate tourists, the statement added.