Excelsior Correspondent
GULMARG, Oct 4: Describing Kashmir valley as ideally suited for high-end holiday travel, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today said he was confident that tourist footfall of winters will match summers if the existing facilities are upgraded to the level of international standards.
He also ordered launching a week-long mass awareness campaign beginning October 7 for sensitising all stakeholders connected with tourism about the significance of maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in all the exotic locations falling within the jurisdictions of Tourism Development Authorities, particularly Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Patnitop. “The campaign should involve all concerned MLAs, District and Divisional Administra-tions right across the State,” he added.
The Chief Minister said this while chairing a high-level meeting here at the famous ski resort of Gulmarg, which registers a huge flow of tourists in winters as well. He also visited Kangdoori, Strawberry Valley and the historic Maharaja Palace and took stock of the ongoing projects.
MLA Tangmarg, Abass Wani, Chief Secretary, B. R. Sharma and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, were also present in the meeting.
Describing high-end resorts as a catalyst for driving niche tourists to Valley’s best known winter destinations, the Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to speed up finalization of the Gulmarg’s Master Plan so that the resort is developed with an international flavour. “Once the Master Plan is finalized, it will enable us to conceive plans for starting wide ranging activities to make Gulmarg high-end,” he added.
The Chief Minister was informed by Secretary Tourism that all modalities and procedural requirements have been finalized and the revised Master Plan is expected to be approved in the next Cabinet meeting.
Asserting that travel industry cannot flourish unless power, water and roads in resorts match benchmark standards, Mufti Sayeed obtained progress report from the concerned Chief Engineers on the present status of the basic amenities. He directed Chief Engineer R&B to macadamise road from Gulmarg to Strawberry Valley, Dobi Ghat, which has been shortlisted as a site for eco-friendly tented accommodation and setting up of high-end resorts.
Appreciating the work done by R&B Department in improving the condition of roads, the Chief Minister also ordered construction of half-a-km concrete road on pilot basis within the bowl for verifying the feasibility of this technology as replacement of existing internal roads. He also stressed on developing cycling tracks for paddlers, which is a very popular activity in European tourist destinations.
The Chief Minister also issued directions for ensuring uninterrupted water and power supply availability in the resort, asking them to avoid any glitches, especially in winters.
Stressing upon upgrading healthcare facilities to meet any medical emergency, the Chief Minister desired setting up of model hospitals with adequate manpower and equipment at all major tourist destinations, particularly at Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Patnitop, to cater to the needs of the travellers.
Describing golf tourism as critical to position J&K as a high-end holiday destination, Mufti Sayeed emphasized upon setting up of more golf courses at Sonamarg, Yusmarg, Dudapathri and Jai-Bhaderwah, where natural contours most suited for developing fairways and greens are available.
The Chief Minister stressed upon revival of Gulmarg Golf course, one of the oldest courses established in the 18th century. “We have to see why golfing as a sport has failed to take off at such a lovely place as Gulmarg,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Minister after his arrival, travelled to Kangdoori in cable car, where he took stock of the ongoing work to replace the existing gondolas from Kangdoori to Affarwat by new ones.
J&K Cable Car Corporation is in the process of replacing 34 gandolas on 2.5 km Phase II of Gulmarg cable car from Kangdoori to Affarwat, for which a team of trained engineers from French company Pomalgaski, is scheduled to arrive Sunday next.
Later, Mufti Sayeed visited the picturesque Strawberry Valley, where he directed Secretary Tourism to develop the site for tented accommodation and villas for high-spending visitors, after the Gulmarg Master Plan is approved.
While inspecting the ongoing restoration work on the historic Maharaja Palace, the Chief Minister set a deadline of November 25 for GDA to complete the project. He also ordered immediate landscaping of the lawns of the Palace by expert architect so that heritage lovers are regaled by the astounding beauty of one of Gulmarg’s oldest heritage assets.
Also present were PCCF, A. K. Singh, Director General, Information & PR, Zaffar Ahmad, Secretary Tourism, Farooq A. Shah, Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla, Yasha Mudgal, Chief Engineer R&B, Satish Razdan, Chief Engineer, Power, Bashir Khan, Chief Engineer, PHE, G. M. Bhat and CEO GDA, Nazir Ahmad.
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