​Nainital hotel parking notices a worry for Mussoorie hoteliers

MUSSOORIE: With the Nainital district administration having issued notices to 77 hotels with “inadequate parking space for vehicles”, hotel owners in Mussoorie are a worried lot.
Following Uttarakhand high court order on July 3, the notices were served to 77 hotels in Nainital. The HC in its order directed the Nainital district administration to “seal those hotels, guesthouses and homestays that do not have at least 50% of their accommodation capacity for parking of vehicles by September 15.”
Only 25% of the 250 hotels and guesthouses in Mussoorie have parking facilities.For a town that was never built for motor traffic, the growing number of vehicles has only created havoc.
Parking has been on old issue in town. “There is space to park only 1,500 cars in the town. Local cars (including taxis) are already around 4,500. Combine that with an added average of 2,000 tourist cars that come every weekend and you have sheer chaos. We need solutions and need them quick,” said Sandeep Sahney, member, tourism development board, Uttarakhand.
Hoteliers are worried that the Nainital orders might also come into effect in Mussoorie. R N Mathur, President, Mussoorie Hotel Association, said, “It is the administration that should be penalised and not the hoteliers. It’s strange how they first allowed these hotels to be built without or little parking space and are now fining them.”
Ajay Bhargava of Hotel Surya Kiran in Mussoorie says, “We hoteliers have been requesting authorities for parking spaces for a long time. Parking facility in PPP mode is the answer for the town.”
Rajat Aggarwal, president of Mussoorie Trader’s Association echoed the same emotions. “Where was the government when hotels were focusing on more rooms rather than parking space. Now that luxury taxes have been collected from them, they are being punished. The Nainital order should serve as a future reference so as to not allow any more hotels or guesthouses without parking to be built.”