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Governor's help sought on Palace on Wheels issue

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Mahila Congress president Mamta Sharma on has appealed to the State Governor, Pratibha Patil, to stall the State Government's move to outsource the services in the heritage train, Palace on Wheels (PoW). The prestige of the State was involved in the train, jointly run by the Indian Railways and the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, she told the Governor.

Ms. Sharma, MLA from Bundi, who submitted a memorandum to Ms.Patil in this connection, later told newspersons that PoW, over the past 20 years of its operation, had become the flagship of the State's tourism trade. "The whole world talks about it as they talk about the Taj Mahal. The train has been making profit continuously. The move to outsource its services is prompted by ulterior motives,'' she charged.

The 1200-strong workforce in RTDC is on the warpath after the State Government invited tenders recently from five star hotel chains to carry out the housekeeping and bar services on board the train. The intention is to outsource the other services offered in the PoW package such as off board catering, sightseeing, transport, entertainment along with upkeep, maintenance of interiors and furnishing of the designer locomotive. "Once these services are handed over to private agencies where will the staff go? If they are re-deployed in the RTDC- run hotels many of them will go into red due to excess staff,'' Ms.Sharma pointed out. "There is more to the move than meets the eye. This could also be a strategy to wind up the Corporation itself,'' she charged.

"Palace on Wheels is having 94 per cent occupancy at present. The removal of the experienced staff of the Corporation will not be in the interest of tourism in the State,'' Ms.Sharma said pointing out that the revenue from the train had been keeping the finances of RTDC on an even keel. The train made an income of Rs.25.35 crores in 2004-2005 of which Rs.11.15 crores (44 per cent) would be RTDC share. In the year 2003-04 these figures were Rs.19.70 crores and Rs.8.67 crores respectively.

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