About 20 years ago, the Department of Tourism, then in unified Andhra Pradesh, had recruited 20 youth as tour guides on a daily wage basis. Today after two decades, about 13 are left — they are in their mid 40s with families — and continue to work as daily wagers.
But their life has never been that difficult, as it is today, especially during lockdown, which is imposed across the country to break the chain of spread of COVID-19.
Since February, the tourism industry has been taking a beating, as the flow of tourists have been dwindling and after lockdown from March 24, it has come to a total halt.
“There is no tourist, so there is no guided tour and we do not get any payment. And all the 13 families are in dire straits and struggling to meet both ends,” said S. Srinivas, who is now 45-years-old, has a family with two college going kids.
The tour guides are rotated for various State-run programmes such as Araku programme, local heritage tour, Vizag-Srikakulam tour and Bhadrachalam tour.
If it is Araku programme the tour begins at 7 a.m. and one guide is assigned to each bus to Araku. The visit include Padmapuram Gardens, Borra Caves, Coffee Plantation, Tribal Museum, Galikonda view point and Chaprai. The tour ends at around 9 p.m. on the same day and each guide gets paid ₹900 per day.
For Vizag – Srikakulam circuit, each guide is paid ₹900 for a trip to Arasavalli temple, Sri Kurmam, Salihundam and Sri Mukhalingam. The 12- hour tour begins from 7 a.m.
For local heritage tour, each guide is paid ₹700 per day.
“But since we are paid on a daily basis, if there is no tour, there is no payment. On an average we make around ₹6,000 to ₹7,000 per month and during season (October to March) we earn around ₹10,000. But since last two months all tour programmes have been cancelled and so there is no payment. And we do not know when it will resume,” he said.
Fixed scale system
In 2007, before the State was bifurcated, the then Managing Director of APTDC Chandana Khan had implemented fixed scales of ₹10,000 for about 40 tour guides. “This has now gone up to ₹18,000 per month. We demand that we be put in fixed scale system, otherwise survival with family will be a difficult proposition,” said Mr. Srinivas. All the tour guides are graduates and have undergone training in Tourism and Travel Management.
“We have given a representation to Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, about eight months ago, and awaiting a favourable response,” said the tour guides.
