Huge losses beckon for the Dharamsala hotels after shift of India-Pakistan match

The high-voltage T20 world cup clash between India and Pakistan is now shifted to Kolkata from Dharamsala. It’s surely a loss for the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and the people of Himachal Pradesh who were eagerly waiting for the clash. The shifting of the match also spells doom for the local businesses of the picturesque hill town.

Many hotels in the town had heavy advance bookings. The match scheduled to be played on March 19 had spectators coming from different parts of the country and outside the country as well. But as the match is now shifted to Kolkata, the hotels are forced to deal with cancellations. Even the local fans are extremely disappointed to miss out on the marquee clash.

“It was Dharamshala’s turn to hog the limelight. We were hoping to watch the match. It would have been great to host the India-Pakistan encounter but sadly local politics prevailed and the match has been shifted,” said Sudhir, who studies in the Government College.

Cancellations will lead to a huge of business

According to the local hoteliers, the cancellations will lead to a huge loss of business besides tarnishing the image of the state and the town.

The owner of the Hotel City Heart, Shyam Chaddha, said it was already a lean season with very few tourist arrivals. “We were hoping this one match will make the year profitable for us, but now that chance is gone,” he said.

Fans who had planned to reach Dharamshala well in advance were left disappointed with the last-minute change in their travel plans. One of them, who had planned to come with his family from Ludhiana said that it was disheartening, especially for his 12-year-old son Jitinder Sud, an avid cricket fan.

BCCI Secretary Mr. Anurag Thakur blamed the state government and said, “I don't know how will the fans react. Himachal government has embarrassed the country.”

However, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had denied the allegations and said the state government never had never opposed the match or refused to provide security. But on the other hand, he made it clear that the government will respect the sentiments of the martyrs and ex-servicemen.

He dismissed the ‘loss to the state’ theory vociferously and firmly stood his ground.

It seems that the war-of-words between the two will go on for some time. The political angle too is looking quite obvious. But people who bore the brunt are the local businessmen and their losses will be hard to compensate.

All hotels within a 100-km radius of the stadium were booked well in advance. Such was the demand for tickets from fans that it had to be sold through a draw of lottery. Now that the match has been shifted from the venue to Kolkata, the bookings will have to be cancelled and tickets refunded.

The mega-clash would have put the picturesque stadium on the tourist map. The economy of the place would have been hugely boosted for sure. Now its Kolkata’s turn to rake in the moolah as somebody’s loss is somebody’s gain.