Everybody in a position of authority speaks of preserving our heritage. But few care to translate this slogan into practice. Also we often speak of our State as foremost among tourist spots in the country but we are not exploring new tourists destinations. We remain confined to a few destinations in Kashmir and do not explore new sites of which there is no dearth. Mantalai in Sudh Mahadev ranges is one place that carries the twin significance of a tourist resort and a heritage spot. This site of exceptional scenic beauty and of rich mythological background, of which there are interesting visible signs, was developed by late Dhirendra Brahmachari with the purpose of making it a leading yoga centre in the country to which tourists and yoga lovers from all over the world would flock. The making of a helipad and raising of multi-storey buildings was an initiative towards that objective which, however, could not be achieved owing to the sudden death of Dhirendra Brahmachari ji. The site spread over more than two thousand kanals of land, changed hands after the death of its owner and is now resting with the Patni Top Development Authority. However, so far there are no indications of this Authority intending to turn the site into a real tourist cum pilgrimage destination. Much remains to be done in that direction. We impress upon the State Tourism Department and other concerned authorities to focus attention on developing Mantalai as a significant tourist and pilgrim spot and provide all facilities that would make it attractive. The layout of the infrastructure is already there and a proper plan of how to develop it into a tourist complex and also maintain its mythological attraction is what needs to be taken care of. Development of Mantalai will boost the economy of entire area of Udhampur district, which at present remains a backward area. The passing of the buck culture should stop and only one Government agency should take the project in hand and draw a time frame for its completion.
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