Union health minister Gulam Nabi Azad has asked schools not to send students on Diwali tours abroad or within the country. Following the diktat, thousands of students in city have been forced to cancel their planned educational trips, resulting in heavy losses for tour operators who booked tickets in advance.
The city-based Educational Tours and Travel Association told DNA on Tuesday that more than Rs10 crore used by various tour operators to book air and rail tickets, connecting transport facilities and hotel bookings had got stuck due to sudden cancellation by hundreds of schools in the city in the past 48 hours.
“The schools contacted us some three months in advance to make bookings for destinations like Singapore, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Kerala, Ooty, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Accordingly, we made all the arrangements, paying advance booking amounts from our own pocket. Now, with the schools cancelling holiday plans, our money is stuck,” said Anil Garg, chairman of the association.
Sanjay Nimbalkar, another prominent association member and owner of Khushi Travels, echoed Garg’s concerns. “The government should make its policy clear as far as the students are concerned. If there is no such restriction on adults, there should not be any discrimination against the students. Most of the students going on holiday trips are aged between 12 and 16 years, and can take care of themselves,” he said. “The entire tourism industry has been pushed into turmoil by the minister’s vague statement.”
Abha Dharampal, principal of Utpal Sanghvi School, Juhu, said that following the directive, her school cancelled a trip to Kerala. “We have a clause in our agreement with the tour operator, which says that no compensation would be paid if the tour is cancelled due to calamities or other causes not in our control. We are refunding the amount to students. No trip will be undertaken this year,” she said. “Even the parents have been requesting us to cancel the trips as they feared for their wards’ safety.”
