Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 20: State BJP Spokesperson Prof Virender Gupta today expressed his great concern that tourism potential of Jammu region was not being explored and properly developed as very meagre amount of tourism budget was being spent in Jammu region to develop the tourist spots and to attract the visitors here.
In a statement, Prof Gupta said that he had no objection against the efforts of State Government and its Tourism Department to organize public awareness functions inviting people of the country to visit Kashmir assuring them that the Valley was a safe tourist destination, but the matter of concern was only that no such efforts were being made to highlight various tourist spots of Jammu.
He further said that because of the prevailing conditions in the Valley tourists from rest of the country were preferring to visit tourist spots in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and North East States and therefore is better to highlight the tourist spots of Jammu region so that the people may be attracted to the State. “Jammu region is also a constituent of the J&K State and its neglect can only be considered as criminal negligence,” he added.
Prof Virender Gupta called upon the Chief Minister, Director Tourism Jammu and other concerned authorities to draw a plan to develop the tourist spots in Jammu region and asked the Centre to sanction a special grant for the development of these spots on the priority basis. He drew the attention of the Government, both at the Centre and the State, towards various tourist spots of Jammu region, such as Dhagan Gali, Narsingha, Gorha Gali, Tata Pana and Firatlapri in Gool (Reasi District), Landar Panchari, Jaie, Chinta in Bhaderwah, Askhi in Gulabgarh apart from Patnitop, Sansar, Mansar, Surinsar, Bani, Sudh Mahadev etc.
He also appealed to the people and the political class of Jammu region to raise their united voice for the development of tourism in the Jammu region.
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