Posts of CEOs of twin development authorities lying vacant since long
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 26: The PDP-BJP Coalition Government is promoting Kargil and Zanskar tourism in an impromptu manner as on one side the posts of Chief Executive Officers of the twin developmental authorities have been lying vacant during the past several years and on the other side serious attention is not being paid towards clearance of major projects announced last year.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that posts of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Kargil and Zanskar Tourism Development Authorities have been lying vacant during the past several years because of the failure of the Government to post suitable officers and the affairs of these Development Authorities are being managed only through ad hoc arrangements.
They disclosed that charge of the CEO Zanskar Development Authority has been given to Sub-Divisional Magistrate of the area while as Deputy Commissioner is looking after the affairs of Kargil Tourism Development Authority. “The non-serious approach in this regard is notwithstanding the fact that only full time CEOs can give necessary push to the plans of promoting Kargil and Zanskar as separate package in tourism market”, they added.
Even ad hoc arrangement for Kargil Tourism Development Authority will come to an end as the Deputy Commissioner is going to attain superannuation within next few days. Since the posts of Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) and Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) have also been lying vacant the Kargil Tourism Development Authority will be deprived of further ad hoc arrangement also, sources informed.
Even the projects which were announced last year have failed to become reality for want of regular follow-up exercise. Had there been full time CEOs there would have been frequent correspondence with the Tourism Department for early clearance of the Detailed Project Reports, sources said, adding “delay of several years in filling the posts of CEOs has made it clear that Government doesn’t have any planned approach to promote tourism in Kargil and Zanskar”.
It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, while reviewing the functioning of Kargil and Zanskar Tourism Development Authorities in the month of August last year, had stressed the need to connect some of the world’s tallest Buddhist icons in Kargil district with the Buddhist Tourist Circuit so as to increase the tourist footfall significantly.
“The only progress made on this announcement is preparation of Detailed Project Report, which is gathering dust somewhere in the Tourism Department”, sources said, “similar is the fate of the announcement regarding development of Bimbut, Hundurman and other adjoining places under border tourism for which only Detailed Project Report has been prepared during the past eight months”.
They further informed that development of memorials of Kargil war to attract large number of tourists and promotion of adventurous sports like river rafting, which has great scope in Kargil district, have also remained confined to the official files due to absolute non-seriousness on the part of concerned authorities.
“Even the annual plan of Kargil and Zanskar Tourism Development Authorities is too meager to create tourism related infrastructure and facilities”, sources said, adding “due to lack of proper planning and seriousness tourism promotion in Kargil has remained confined to official statements of the Government only despite the fact that nature has bestowed Kargil district with unique features which ought to be sold as a separate package”.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Kargil Gulzar Hassain confirmed that Kargil and Zanskar Tourism Development Authorities don’t have full time CEOs during the past several years and meager funds have been creating hurdles in tourism promotion.
“If sufficient funds are placed at the disposal of these Tourism Developmental Authorities and necessary infrastructure is created Kargil can become most famous destination for the domestic as well as foreign tourists”, he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that MLA from Kargil Asgar Ali Karbalaie had vociferously raised his concern over non-serious approach of the Government towards tourism promotion in the district during the Budget Session held in January-February this year.
“It seems that there is no seriousness on the part of Government in honoring its own announcements and redressing the concerns of the elected representative of the people from the area”, sources regretted.
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