Committee to check illegal constructions at tourist destinations

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 16: State Government has decided to constitute a committee to check cases of illegal construction at tourism spots coming under the purview of various Tourist Development Authorities.
The decision in this regard was taken at a high level meeting held under the chairmanship of Minister for Tourism, Ghulam Ahmad Mir here today.
Minister of State for Tourism and Home, Sajad Ahmad Kichloo was also present in the meeting.
The meeting decided that no illegal construction should be registered and steps for their demolition should be taken for safe guarding the rich environs of tourism spots. It was also decided that nobody would be allowed to create infrastructure under the jurisdiction of Tourism Development Authorities in the State. The Ministers also took serious note of the creation of haphazard and illegal commercial structures at Pahalgam and Sonamarg.
Tourism Minister directed the concerned authorities to ensure complete ban on raising illegal structures and instructed that no illegal structure should be registered and even the registration of existing structures found illegal should be cancelled.
The meeting also decided to notify new potential tourism areas under the jurisdiction of Pahalgam Development Authority and directed the concerned authorities to issue the required notification in this regard. Preparation of Master Plans for creating tourist related infrastructure in a systematic manner at various tourists destinations also came up for discussion and directions were issued for ensuring their timely preparation.
Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture Atul Dullo, Additional District Development Commissioner, Anantnag, Ghulam Mohammad Dar, Chief Executive Officer, Pahalgam Development Authority and Chief Town Planner, besides other senior officers of line departments attended the meeting.