India Faces Hotel Room Shortage During 2010 Commonwealth Games

New Delhi, India (AHN) - As the countdown to the Commonwealth Games get closer, India will face an acute shortage of accommodations for guests coming to the country from all over the globe for the games. Indian Ministry of Tourism secretary Sujit Banerjee said that for a demand of around 240000 rooms, the availability was just 90000.

Banerjee said, "It is estimated that there will be a requirement of an additional 30,000 hotel rooms for the Games. The Union ministry of Tourism is therefore actively involved in monitoring the creation of additional accommodation for the purpose."

A new task force has been formed to monitor the additional new hotels rooms being built or renovated and upgraded in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

Banerjee also said that the neighboring state of Haryana will be providing a "major chunk of hotel accommodation[s] for the Commonwealth Games."

According to Banerjee, 6,632 rooms are available from there, of which 4,224 rooms are in a functional state while the rest will be made functional soon.

Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) president Rajendra Kumar told AHN that the only problem with hotels in the National Capital Region, will be the connectivity problem. He said if the government approached the problem with the right mindset, the problem will be solved without much difficulty.

"They should take into the fray the numerous one star and two star hotels in Delhi in the unorganized sector. Incentives should be provided to these hotels to revamp themselves and for hotels under construction to come up faster. With the countdown on, you have to look at and run at every opportunity that will provide a room over night. You cannot build a hotel overnight. You will just have to make use of available resources," Kumar said.