Tourist Information Centre near Golden Temple lacks both employees, space

Several surveys in the past found the world’s holiest Sikh shrine —- Golden Temple —- among the top tourist destinations in the country yet the state government has made available only a small room and minuscule staff to man the Tourist Information Centre.

Situated opposite Golden Temple, the office can accommodate not more than five persons at a time. In the name of staff, it has got only two officials and a Sewadar (class IV). The two officials include a Tourism Officer and a tourist guide.

To complicate matters for tourists, the size of the display board informing the location of the Tourist Information Centre is so small that it can be viewed only by a keen observer.

Another tourist information centre in the basement of the Golden Temple Entrance Plaza does not find favour with visitors who find it impractical and inconvenient to visit the underground office.

A retired teacher from Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Prof Sukhdev Singh, vice-chairman of INTACH, said the government must at least provide a receptionist, one tourist officer, two guides and a helper to run the office properly.

The centre is neither properly visible nor has it an inquiry window to answer the queries of tourists. Small two-three page literature should be readily available for visitors, he remarked.

Satnam Singh, who runs a couple of lodges in the vicinity of the Golden Temple, said tourists coming from diverse linguistic backgrounds found it tough to communicate with locals to know the location of sightseeing places and utility centres in the holy city. In the absence of proper arrangements by the government to disseminate reliable information, tourists often fall prey to those persons who hoodwink them on the pretext of guiding them.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said, “We have already forwarded a demand to the government for hiring more staff to be deployed at the Tourist Information Centre.”

Amritsar