Jaipur Literature Festival withdraws rickshaw ride ad, then restores it

JAIPUR: Following the TOI story, the Jaipur Literature Festival organizers first removed "things to do in Jaipur" offer from their website home page that provided link to a dubious tour operator. Late evening, however, the website was back on JLF home page.

TOI on Monday had reported the bizarre pricing for a rickshaw ride on JLF's home page link, with a tour operator charging Rs 6,756 for a single person from Albert Hall to Hawa Mahal, a distance of 3km.

Cashing in on the litfest opportunity, there were several packages offered by GeTs Holidays on JLF's official website. GeTs Holidays is the official hospitality partner of the JLF. But following the story, strong reactions poured in from all and sundry about organizers trying to fleece foreign delegates.

"This shows how tourists are fleeced and cheated. How sad?" reacted a reader. Worse, these websites have their home pages on the Jaipur Literature Festival website. Shame, reacted another reader.

Besides, readers reacted to the "atithi devo bhava (guest is like god)" campaign to woo tourists and commented, "There must be properly registered agencies to control such mischievous operators so as to protect the foreign tourists from being looted. Atithi devo bhava campaign will miserably fail if such nasty businesses are not stopped."

A man rides a rickshaw in Jaipur. (Getty Images file photo)

JLF's public relations manager sent a letter to TOI saying, "With reference to the story today in The Times of India titled 'On sidelines of Jaipur lit fest, a rickshaw ride for Rs 6,756!' the details of the offered packages, highlighted in their inclusions, seem to have not been fully reported and may be misleading to the consumers." The letter said JLF has contributed to revenue generation for the city.

It is learnt a citizens' group plans to approach the consumer forum to lodge a complaint against the JLF organizers. Festival Co-director, Namita Gokhale said she looks after literary sessions and can't comment on the issue. Festival director Sanjoy Roy is travelling and he didn't respond to TOI call.

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