Monday, March 24, 2014

Online booking system


Last night I attended a meeting with Forest Deptt and other 
Hoteliers on the Tourism policy 
issues related with next year policy. What everyone thought on those points that were read by one of the S.D.O. as most of the points were already decided and people in Bandhavgarh were only called to get informed.
Apart from many other issues the major issue on which big 
Lodge people were emphasizing 
was Add On issue. That is killing them only because they 
just can't cheat anymore. 
I praise Range Officer Tala for saying in meeting that people 
book false entry and then try to
 sale it at higher cost. Someone bought an entry in Rs 6000/ today. I know this is true but
people who came to me for help doesn't have the courage to 
let me mention his name or the name of the person who sold the entry. 
R.O. Tala said that some people are earning their bread and butter through this business of 
black mailing the entry. The other thing he mentioned i the meeting that last year when he got 
360 entries cancelled it was all the big lodges who did it.
After that meeting I was talking to some people who were running the Lodge association here and some lodge owners.
Everyone says that everyone should get a fair chance of booking the entry through legal means.
And on this issue of "how to stop all these Horse trading and black mailing of entry tickets". We agreed that only way to stop this trading is " Once booked can not be cancelled" formula.  
This formula is.
Forest deptt has to stay firm on one point that they dont want more money than what they get from prescribed number of vehicles allowed in the park, as per carrying capacity. Supposedly Deptt allows 16 vehicles in Morning Safari in Tala zone through online booking. And if all 16 are booked then if anyone cancel their trip then he will not get any refund from that ticket and that ticket will not go in current booking either.
People may complain about loosing the money but it's same like booking a Train ticket on Tatkal with Railways. According to forest Deptt. "Add on facility has stopped most of the cheating by big lodges."  
Now we were told that 10% quota will go as per discretion of Field Director.
We are failed to understand that why Forest Deptt wants to have this constant headache. There phone will never stop ringing and at many times they wont have the courage to ask the person to pay for entry money also.
We know this fact very well. I am not sure about one thing whether I like it or not and that's exposing the Superior Officers after their transfer. This habit I saw not only in Forest deptt employees here but even in some Lodge Owners and Managers. They spill the beans a minute after person is relieved from the post. So in my opinion this quota system is very bad idea and lower staff will suffer due to this. 
I am posting it here only to keep it on a record and for concerned people to take notice of the malpractice taking place here.

2 comments:

Prakash said...

Hi,
Can You PLease share your contact no/mail id.
I'm regulary visited many parks in india. and just wan to join you on the issues.

Unknown said...

I think the content covered in the blog is quite impressive and brilliantly conveyed. Good job and great efforts. Keep it up.
www.channelmanager.com.au