SRINAGAR, JULY 9:Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today chaired the board meetings of Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) and Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC), following the recent reconstitution of both Boards with the Chief Minister as Chairman.The Chief Minister chaired back-to-back meetings at SKICC, Srinagar, beginning with the 19th Board Meeting of SKICC. The meeting was attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister, NasirAslamWani; Chief Secretary AtalDulloo; Administrative Secretaries of Finance and Tourism; DG Planning; Director Tourism; MD JKTDC; and Director SKICC.During the meeting, the Chief Minister emphasised the need for SKICC to emerge as a premier venue for conferences and events. He underscored the importance of fully utilising the facility to generate sufficient revenue for it to become self-sustaining. Calling for strategic marketing, the CM directed the SKICC management to engage corporates and private organisations and establish the Centre as a year-round hub of activity.Expressing concern over the underutilisation of the venue, he instructed the Tourism Department to build a distinct MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) brand identity for SKICC. “It is essential to target corporates, event planners, and government agencies to ensure higher bookings for SKICC and minimise unutilised days. This would help SKICC augment its revenue,” he said.
The Chief Minister also called for recovery of outstanding dues from departments, private entities, and individuals. He emphasised the need for clear role assignments and effective supervision to maximize the output of the existing human resources.This was the first Board Meeting of SKICC since its reconstitution, and the first since November 2020. The agenda included review of actions taken on previous board decisions, audit reports, reconciliation of accounts with the AG’s office, the status of segregation of utilities between SKICC and the Centaur Hotel—outsourced to Leela Palace & JSW Realty by the UT Administration last year—as well as HR matters and absorption of Centaur Hotel staff into other organizations under the Tourism Department.In a separate session, the Chief Minister chaired the 95th Board of Directors Meeting of JKTDC. Stressing the need to increase the visibility of JKTDC assets, he urged efforts to attract tourists and locals to JKTDC hotels and guest houses. He called for enhanced services and improved infrastructure to ensure a superior guest experience and repeated patronage.The Chief Minister expressed concern over the misuse of JKTDC properties and instances of revenue leakage. “Every single JKTDC asset should be equipped with an independent smart meter,” he asserted, emphasising the need for robust monitoring to prevent misuse. He also called for improvements in the overnight-stay potential of huts in remote tourist destinations.
To ensure maximum occupancy, the CM directed that the majority of rooms, including premium ones, be made available on Online Travel Aggregators (OTAs) for wider market reach. He also proposed the development of a dedicated JKTDC mobile app to enhance accessibility and streamline marketing.He further called for an audit of JKTDC assets to identify shortcomingand implement necessary improvements. The management was directed to adopt best practices from the private sector to enhance operational efficiency.Key agenda items in the JKTDC Board Meeting included the onboarding of OTAs for accommodation bookings, recovery of outstanding dues from departments, revision of rentals for accommodations allotted to various departments and organisations, financial statements, clearance of unpaid dues to retired employees, and review of action taken on past board decisions.The JKTDC Board Meeting was also attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister NasirAslamWani, Chief Secretary AtalDulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, and Administrative Secretaries of Finance, Tourism, and Industries, along with DG Planning, Director Tourism, and Managing Director JKTDC.
