Raising concerns over the low utilisation of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) resorts, activist Vivek Velankar has demanded an independent audit of the corporation's tourism accommodation facilities, alleging that assets worth hundreds of crores built with public funds are failing to attract tourists.
In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Velankar cited information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, claiming that the average occupancy of rooms and dormitories across 33 MTDC resorts stood at 39 per cent in 2022-23. Instead of improving with the state's tourism growth, the occupancy rate reportedly declined to 37 per cent over the next three years.
According to the RTI data, even popular tourist destinations such as Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Ajanta and Ellora have recorded average occupancy levels of only 40 to 42 per cent. The figures are significantly lower at several other locations, including Nira-Narsinghpur (1 per cent), Chandrapur (4 per cent), Sinhagad (6 per cent), Panshet (18 per cent), Bodhalkasa (16 per cent), Kunkeshwar (around 25 per cent), and Lonar and Koyna (around 35 per cent). Velankar also claimed that exhibition and conference halls managed by MTDC have an average utilisation of only about 5 per cent.
He said the low occupancy rates warrant a detailed review, particularly when private hotels in many of these destinations continue to witness strong tourist demand. The audit, he said, should examine issues such as room maintenance, cleanliness, repair work, food facilities, staff behaviour and tourist feedback to identify reasons behind the poor performance.
Velankar also questioned why the corporation's senior management had not acted despite having access to occupancy statistics. He urged the state government to conduct an independent audit of MTDC's operations, fix accountability and initiate action against officials found responsible for the underutilisation of tourism infrastructure created with public funds.
