Imphal, August 21: Out of the four tourist homes under the State Tourism Department being occupied by security personnel, Assam Rifles has vacated the Sendra Tourist Home in June this year.

However, even if the security personnel have started vacating from the four tourist homes, the revenue to be accrued to the Department for occupying the tourist homes have not yet been given.

According to a reliable source from the Tourism Department, to aid in counter insurgency operation security personnel including Assam Rifles and State forces started occupying the four tourist homes in 1994 .

Since then, every month the Joint Secretary (Home) of the State Government has been submitting bills for clearing the revenue to be paid to the Tourism Department for occupying the four tourist homes.

The bills are prepared by the Joint Secretary (Home) as the security forces have occupied the tourist homes in connection with aiding counter-insurgency operation in the State.

However, the Department has not received any response to the bills submitted so far inspite of the fact that the Department has been shelling out money from its limited budget allocation in paying the necessary taxes for maintenance of the said tourist homes.

The four tourist homes occupied by the security forces are Churachandpur Tourist Home, Moirang Tourist Home, Sendra Tourist Home and Phubala Tourist Home and the total amount of the revenue liable to be paid to the Tourism Department from these four tourist homes by the security forces from 1994 to June this year is said to be around Rs 45 lakhs.

In Sendra Tourist Home, the Assam Rifles had occupied all four rooms including one VIP room and four double bedded rooms.

The total revenue that should be paid for occupying these five rooms is at the rate Rs 200 per day.

Following public protest against occupation of the tourist homes by the security forces as it causes inconveniences to the movement of the out station tourists and domestic tourists, the Department had written to the authorities concerned for shifting the security forces from the tourist homes.

Subsequently, Assam Rifles sent a letter to the officials of the Tourism Department informing that its personnel have vacated from Sendra Tourist Home in the month of June this year.

Even though the Assam Rifles have been shifted from Sendra Tourist Home, the PDA, which had taken up the renovation work of the existing structures in the tourist homes, is yet to hand over an authorisation letter in this regard to the Tourism Directorate, there is still restriction on entry of tourists, the source disclosed.

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