Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 3: Contrary to the tall claims about initiating various steps to tap tourism potential in unexplored areas of the State, development of Tourist Villages in each district of Jammu and Kashmir has remained a hollow slogan despite explicit directions from two Chief Ministers of the State mainly because of the slackness on the part of District Development Commissioners.
The announcement about development of Tourist Villages in the districts was first made in the year 2008 by the then Minister Incharge Tourism that too on the floor of the Legislative Assembly. He had even stated that such villages will be developed in a time-bound manner to give necessary fillip to the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Thereafter, an amount of Rs 31.50 crore was earmarked for establishment of Tourist Villages but during the revised estimates the total cost was calculated at Rs 29.56 crore against which an amount of Rs 23.74 crore was released by the Union Government to the State Government. However, due to slackness no substantial progress was made on development of majority of the Tourist Villages while as those established failed to achieve the objective due to lack of basic infrastructural facilities.
“In this way, the objective of giving boost to the tourism activities in the rural areas of the State could not be achieved”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
This aspect also drew the attention of PDP-BJP Coalition Government when the then Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed while chairing the District Development Board (DDB) meetings of Jammu and Reasi districts on July 3, 2015 called for identification of Tourist Villages under Government of India’s flagship rural tourism promotions scheme.
“Though the minutes of DDB meetings were timely forwarded to all the District Development Commissioners and other concerned authorities yet the slackness on the part of heads of the district administration acted as road-block in translating the directions of the then Chief Minister into reality”, sources said.
Even the present Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti considered development of Tourist Villages as a right step towards promotion of tourism in rural areas of the State and while chairing meeting of Administrative Secretaries, District Development Commissioners, Managing Directors and Heads of the Departments on June 15 this year, she laid stress on giving practical shape to this innovative idea in a time bound manner, sources informed.
However, only two District Development Commissioners have come forward with the names of the villages to be developed for tourism promotion in rural areas so far and others have yet not acted on the directions of Chief Minister despite lapse of more than two and half months, they said while disclosing that the slackness on the part of majority of the DDCs is notwithstanding the fact that the Chief Minister’s Secretariat vide communication No. HCM/AS/2016-17/154-170 dated July 14, 2016 had formally furnished the minutes of the meeting held on June 15.
In the minutes, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR, it has specifically been mentioned that villages to be identified by the District Development Commissioners will be developed through Rural Development Department and in each district two such villages will come up.
“The DDCs have neither furnished the names of such villages to the Rural Development Department nor to the Tourism Department till date”, sources said while disclosing that it would be only after receipt of names of such villages that Tourism Department in coordination with the Rural Development Department and concerned district administration would work out the infrastructure to be created for promotion of tourism in identified villages.
In the light of decision taken by the Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, the Tourism Department has recently issued reminders to the District Development Commissioners asking them to furnish the names of the villages as early as possible, sources said, adding “it is a matter of serious concern that even the basic exercise for promotion of tourism in rural areas has not been completed till date despite explicit directions from two Chief Ministers of the State”.
“No time-frame can be fixed for establishment of Tourist Villages as a very lengthy process will have to be followed following identification of villages like preparation of Detailed Project Reports and then submission of same to the Union Tourism Ministry for approval”, sources said.
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