Jaipur:
The deadlock over quota talks between the Rajasthan government and Gujjar protesters continues as the agitation enters its ninth day on Tuesday.
The state government is trying to engage the Gujjar leadership in finding a solution. Gujjar leader Col Bainsala is sending a five-member delegation to hold talks with senior government officials in Bayana today.
Meanwhile, Gujjar leaders have said they will go ahead with their December 29 Mahapanchayat and have threatened to shut down the National Capital Region.
The agitation has badly hit tourism in Rajasthan, one of India's top tourist destinations to ring in the New Year. With rail and road links between Jaipur and Agra snapped, even the Golden Triangle of India's tourism has been badly disrupted.
"We don't know what to do. We are making our tour and changing cities every day. We have no idea if we will face same problems the next day. That's making us very worried," says Tanya Rossini, an Italian tourist.
Not just Tanya, countless other tourists are facing a tough time as dozens of trains and buses have been cancelled or diverted. The travel trade is worried at the large number of cancellations pouring in just at the peak of the Christmas-New Year season.
"We have suffered nearly 40 to 45% cancellations of bookings. Several groups who were to come have got diverted to other places. And for many who have come here we don't know where to send them now," says Kuldeep Singh, Tour Operator, Jaipur.
Even the luxury train Palace on Wheels is running 24 hours late and time for sight-seeing has been cut drastically.
In Rajasthan, where every eighth person depends on tourism to earn a living, the Gujjar agitation has now become a huge stumbling block.