Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 18: Tourist Facilitation Center–a joint venture of J&K Tourism and Hotel & Restaurant Association Katra was inaugurated by Parvez Dewan, Advisor to Governor.
Chief Executive Officer, SMVD Shrine Board AK Sahu, Secretary Tourism Farooq Shah, Director Tourism Jammu RK Verma, Deputy Commissioners of Reasi, Jammu and Udhampur namely Sushma Chauhan, Simrandeep Singh and Shahid Iqbal Choudhary respectively, SSP Reasi Surjit Kumar Singh, Hotel and Restaurant Association President Rakesh Wazir, Chairman Shyam Lal Kesar, Additional CEO Shrine Board Piyush Singla, Former Member Public Service Commission RL Bharti, SDM Katra Anil Chandel and CEO, KDA Pardeep Singh Chib were also present.
While inaugurating the Center, Dewan said that tourism right from Mughal Empire period has remained a main point of attraction for J&K and it is also a fact that tourism provides the maximum employment to the people in the State and as such every effort would be made to increase the tourism potential in the State by encouraging the participation of private sector.
The opening of Centre will prove to be an asset and a milestone in the direction to increase the tourism of the State, he added.
He said that Katra would be developed as real base camp for all pilgrim/tourist destinations of the State and large number of pilgrims visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine would also be diverted to the other pilgrim destinations and beautiful places of the State.
Farooq Shah while speaking on the occasion discussed in detail the upcoming tourism projects of the State and elaborated in detail the strategy to increase the stay of the yatries.
Rakesh Wazir, President of the association while speaking on the occasion said that steps like revival of old traditional route of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine (Kol Kandoli-Bamyal-Deva Mai-Katra route) by making a bridge at Bamyal, joining of Sakaiter Domail Road with Surinsar by making a small bridge at Tahra, beautification of Katra Town by way of lightening etc, construction of left over road portion of Devi Ki Pindian, besides many other steps will increase the tourists influx in the State. He also raised some other social issues.
Dewan paid patient hearing to the issues and assured examination of all the points.
Senior Vice President Virender Kesar, Vice presidents Rohit Dubey, Sumit Khajuria, Ajay Kotwal, Surinder Khajuria and prominent citizens were present on the occasion.
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