Tourism and Aviation need a new vision in India

Tourism and aviation need new Vision in India

India, everyone claims, has great scope and potential of Tourism and aviation and culture which are interwoven and related to common missions. Tourism is also most important driver of growth and job creation. Growth of tourism depends on functioning of entire circuit of foreign marketing, availability of flights and entire gamut of reception and hospitality. We have to make policies not in compartments but holistically so that all these sectors are knitted in single mission of promoting tourism in the country. It is depressing to analyze and realize that the country has lagged behind in this vital area and is doing much below the expectations. It needs policy formulation and redirection of the sector with vision and innovation.

Let us consider following dimensions of our performance:

1.     In Global competitiveness report we are at the rank 55 out of 144 countries  while countries like Barbados, Chile, Tunisia and such others are ranked above India. China gets 55 million tourists and we get hardly 6million.

2.     India is ranked 7^th in cultural and heritage tourism resource, but it is at the bottom  of ten countries who have high tourism for heritage and cultural tourism by World Economic Forum.

3.     The shortage of rooms and high incidence of tariff is attributed to high taxation of 16% on room 16% on food and 23% liquor. China has flat 5% in each sector and Thailand and Singapore 7% in three areas.

4.     Hotel accommodation is in short supply and for enhanced tourism considering hotel as export industry could help

Let us consider following in aviation sector which is in worse situation:

1.     According to ICAO $100 spent on aviation gives benefits worth $325 and 100 jobs. We have grown from 1990 when we had 100 aircrafts to 735 in 2010 yet our aviation performance is poor. Air India the national carrier has already incurred loss of 1100 crores.

2.     Indian airlines all combined are not able to use more than 40% capacity of seats allocated to them in foreign flights. All three airlines of India are wasting capacities and seats.

3.     Gulf sector airlines are dominating aviation in India carrying 8-5 million passengers.

4.     Rules which limit foreign flying to  Indian airlines who have been functioning for 5 years and have 20 aircrafts also are impediment in growth.

5.     In spite of dramatic though late improvements in airports that  are good , city side management of the airports needs much more improvement.

6.     The connectivity of difficult terrain sites like Himachal and North east have not received much attention.GPS landing could be introduced to reduce costs of airport and flying for passenger in such small strips.

7.     The small city connectivity by small airlines in hub and spoke model could only achieve it and promotion of small airlines especially with likely development of an indigenous plane of 60seats could help. Nepal is an example of more than 30 airports airstrips where the tourist network of the country and movement is woven by such concept.

8.     Perspective planning on network of air ports like airstrips with small aircrafts as perfected by Nepal could bring more connectivity.

Biggest issue is that thought process and policy making needs to be broad based and limited to department al thinking. Professionals and experts who are outside the pay roll of government sector and who could offer expertise based on experience and skill should be utilized.

FACT  is the first independent private think tank that shall try to fill the gap in officialdom’s file based thinking and needed global creative planning. New areas like cultural discoveries, medical tourism, educational/ philosophical/ yoga packages, art tourism, innovative ideas must replace worn out Incredible India byline.

Government and industry along with the users must join hands to create new policies and paradigms of development and it should not be left to monopoly of a few in corridors of Udan mantralya.

-------------Prof N.K.Singh former Chairman International Airports Authority

No one cares about city management in India

Delhi is posing challenge and problems as the management of the city is going from bad to worse. The problem is created by an absurd and mindless amendment of the constitution based on advice of so called experts in government and this amendment 69 followed favorite method of compromise and not doing right, When statehood was conside3red instead of following international practices and studying the best possible method to govern the capital of India it chose to strike a moonfish solution of making it neither man nor woman approach for the city. It is neither now a state nor a union territory but transgender.The designers thought they afre party satisfting and partly sticking to direct control by the centre.

The right course was to reject this transgender approach and make it a new strongly and innovatively managed city. But in Politics compromise power handling are important not sound and efficient management.Even now it is better to remove this amendement and introduce a neew model of management of the city.

Poverty of thinking at the political level is appalling and if we examine other cities we find the same approach of fragmentation and defused accountability is introduced in all cities. Recently I was studying along with researchers the city of Varanasi that is the dream of Prime Minister as the intellectual capital of India and heritage city par excellence but today it is in shambles. We are getting all type of experts to invest to make flyovers to make ghats or set up recycling plant etc. But the root of the problem no one is addressing and that stems from the organization and management design of the city. In the present organization Mayor is just figure head with broom in his hand but he has no control on other matters of the city. As he put it to me “n there are two dozen agencies working at Ghats but they are not accountable to him and sometime working at cross purposes. District administration has its own sphere where Mayor has nothing to do . Revenue and land matters are in state or centre’s control.

In Delhi Municipal corporations are independent of the local government. LG who represents central government is supposed to be independent of the state .Land, Police and appointments are with the LG who reports to centre and incase of dispute with the state he has to go to President. This is what Kejriwal is not able to understand as to why he is Chief Minister when he has no power like state CMs. But this is legal and constitutional position and Shiela Dixit functioned smoothly when BJP was in power in the centre without any fuss. This is a question of difference in methodology of work of leader –one who wishes to work with democratic setup with persuasion and consultation rather than seeking confrontation everywhere which is being followed by Kejriwal. Giving designation of CM to Delhi ;s head was wrong as he has no full authority of a CM. Even making Delhi a full state is not the solution and can create more trouble as the seat of central government is in the city.

If we see global experience there is clear accountability and authority of the city management. Tokyo London or other cities have Mayor-Council model. Both are directly elected by the citizen.London has broughs which are something like decentralized zonal system coordinated by Council. Mayor is assisted by a committee but is accountable to the Council. Mayor organizationally reports to the Prime Minister or Home Minister. There is no confusion or overlap of accountability and that makes city work smoothly. In India we create Mayor but we don’t want him to function as Mayor, We create CM but we don’t want him to be CM. It is endless hypocritical game. It is in the interest of the efficient management of the cities to end this game and make clear organizations, Change the constitution if it is so needed but improve cities care as well as citizen welfare.

Bus Stand

First passenger: In first page of papers I read official meetings of the Government conclude that there are no problems of water shortage or disruptions of power in state. Next page is full of reports of water scarcity and power breakdowns. Whom should I believe?

Second Passenger: Truth is elastic in Himachal Government. If you are getting services you believe the government and if you are miserable without these then believe the public.

----Prof N.K.Singh former Chairman International Airports Authority

Kashmir defies solution but hope lingers

An impossible alliance of two diametrically opposed parties to form a government is certainly a new direction for the functioning of democracy in Jammu and Kashmir. There are always hurdles for Mufti from separatists and for BJP from its radicals. This government has to steer clear of many mines on the way to delivery of development to people.

I had extensive discussion with Bhim Singh the leader of Panther Party which has lost much of its strength but it has Provided a third weak alternative all these years. Whatever the small size of the party now left its value of importance is centered on its leader who has brushed his shoulders with Kings and paupers alike all over the world. He has been fighting for human rights and detained in jails 54 times by every Prime Minister of India and CM of J&K.A Barrister from Britain and lawyer of distinction in the Supreme court he has fought many battles for justice to the common man. Legal luminaries like P.N.Bhagwati have praised him as “an indomitable fighter for truth and justice …he fights with great determination and vigor even at the cost of his personal safety and security”. He has the distinction of refusing the coupons worthUS$7.3million from Saddam Husain of Iraq as per UN report.

In his two books he has dealt with the problems of Jammu and Kashmir. In his ‘Autonomy or Secession’, He boldly described the resolution of autonomy passed by the JK assembly as the call for secession. According to him this call for autonomy has “threatened the very democratic and integral structures of India besides encouraging the anti national and communal forces to indulge in the activities which intend to destabilize thee great nation”.  

He rightly bemoans the apathy of leaders, media and intellectual who have not come out vigorously against this posture of J&K government, and PDP-BJP government will face major problem with it.

In fact the problem emanates from the inappropriate interpretation arising out of the article 370 which he thinks is fraud on nation. J&K has now been virtually trifurcated in almost three parts one with Pakistan and one with India has also the third with China which is leased out by the Pakistan.  After Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh signed accession with India it was a temporary provision and cannot continue ad- infinitum. Moreover now it is being interpreted as inviolable and unchangeable, which is not correct. According to him once the monarch singed the accession it becomes “absolute as in respect of other states”.Moreover after the promulgation of the state constitution in 1957 it becomes in fructuous and “ can be scrapped by Indian Parliament “. Even he argues that consultation with state government is not equivalent to concurrence. He goes on “Even Dr Ambedkar described this as fatal in the long run to the unity and integrity of India”.

In his book his references for the role of Mahraja Hari Singh is laudatory and respectful and he does not critically analyze his lapses. This may be due to his Dogra loyalty but even Maharaja could be faulted in creating this faux pas. He should not have delayed accession as the situation was clear and standstill agreement idea between Pakistan and India  was quixotic as India would have never agreed to it.He is right in saying ironically that as NC says Article 370 is not a link between India and Kashmir but a dislink. It is high time that now Indian Government finds ways and means to manage it. In my view another pragmatic approach could be to allow it to get eroded as already dilution has taken place.

 and gradually let it perish. In any case National Conference or any other leader supporting autonomy in the name of this article is dangerous.

N.K.Singh former Chairman International Airports Authority