PESHAWAR: The profit-making rest houses taken over by Tourism Corporation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa just two years ago have been taken over by Galiyat Development Authority in the peak tourist season in the area.

Just two years ago, the provincial government handed over some 11 rest houses of different departments to Tourism Corporation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Many departments resisted the move.

However, the government, once again, has changed the controlling body of these rest houses and that too at a time when tourism is at its peak in Galiyat.

TCKP losing control of 11 rest houses in Galiyat

The tourism department was told to hand over the administrative control of 11 rest houses in Galiyat to Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) recently.

“I wanted to book a rest house and found out the rest houses were transferred from TCKP to GDA. GDA would be making bookings after a week,” said Nadia, a tourist from Peshawar who wanted to flee the heat of the city.

These 11 out of 29 rest houses in Galiyat were earlier transferred to Tourism Corporation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after a lot of hassle as some departments still refuse to give up their rest houses.

The 11 rest houses were made functional through renovation and refurbishing with the financial assistance of World Bank. The rest houses were opened through online booking facility to domestic and foreign tourists.

While some provincial departments still refuse to hand over their rest houses to TCKP, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak directed the tourism department to hand over the 11 rest houses, it had been running successfully for the last two years, to GDA.

These rest houses, which were earlier closed to people, provided accommodation facility to tourists on reasonable charges and government also started earning profit for the two years it rented those in summer.

“The provincial government earned more than Rs10 million just by renting these 11 rest houses in summer last year,” said media and marketing officer of TCKP Haseena Shaukat. She added that 75 per cent of the income went to development of tourism facilities in Galiyat and the remaining went to TCKP for tourism promotional activities.

Earlier, the rest houses including Retreat House and Police Rest House Nathiagali, Inspection Bungalow Murree, Forest Rest House Thandiani, Additional Cottage Nathiagali, Vendia Cottage Nathiagali, Pine Rest House Nathiagali, Forest Cottage Nathiagalai, Forest Rest House Dungagali, Forest Rest House Barian, TCKP Rest House Thandiani, European Cottage 29, 30 and1, Shimla Cottage, Secretariat Cottage Nathiagali, Chand View Murree, Raees Khana Nathiagali, Fan House Nathiagali, Speaker House Nathiagali, Communication and Work House Nathiagali, Blue Pine Cottage Nathiagali, Nathiagali, C&W House Nathiagali, C&W Rest House Changlagali, C&W Rest House Thandiani, Dugree Inspection Hut, Birangali Forest Rest House, Dak Bungalow Nathiagali, Changlagali Rest House and GDA Rest House Khanaspur were transferred to TCKP in two phases but only 11 rest houses could be actually taken over and made functional by TCKP.

Ms Shaukat said that TCKP made those rest houses functional on commercial basis that started earning a handsome income for the provincial government in a short span of time.

“Despite making profit for the last two years and actually providing a good residential facility to local and foreign tourists in Galiyat , why TCKP has to hand over these rest houses to GDA may be of no fault of its own but GDA officials already know it would help them increase their financial resources,” she added.

GDA head Inayatullah Waseem said that tourism was direct and indirect source of livelihood in the area and earning from the rest houses would directly be utilised in the development of tourism in Galiyat.

“Handing over of the government rest houses will help GDA to improve not only the service provision to the visitors but also its own resources to meet the cost of development agenda for the area,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2017