Some 20 pilgrims lodged complaint against the tour operator for poor pilgrimage services. They submitted the complaint letter to Phuentshogling trade office earlier this week after returning from 18-day pilgrimage in India.
Pilgrims said they were utterly disappointed with the services provided to them. “We were told Nu 18,000 will cover everything including the medical services too. But it wasn’t. Once we started our journey, we had to put in congested rooms. The bus had only one driver which was risky,” said one of the pilgrims, Neten.
Others narrated similar stories. “All of us suffered with swollen feet. At Tsho Pema, we just had one meal and when we reached at the hot spring, there was no meal at all. The service wasn’t like they advertised,” said another pilgrim, Sangay Wangmo.
However, the tour operator denies all the allegations. He said, he did his best to provide quality services to the pilgrims. He also said, handful of pilgrims was instigating others to make an issue. To justify his stance, the operator has submitted a letter to the trade office, which will be forwarded to the Office of Consumer Protection in Thimphu.
To ensure safety and quality pilgrimage services for Bhutanese pilgrims, the Office of Consumer Protection launched a package pilgrimage rules and regulation in November last year. The legislation specifies regulations on services such as meals, accommodation and transport among others. The code of conduct and responsibility of the pilgrims and the operator are also reflected in it.
