Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Mar 5: National Conference today criticized the Government for neglecting religious tourism which has potential to boost the economy of Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a workers meeting at Villaga Kalima (Utter Behni), Block Purmandal of District Samba, Rattan Lal Gupta (provincial president, NC) said that the ‘religious tourism’ has been facing discrimination from the present dispensation which had claimed equal treatment to all the regions of J&K. He said that Utterbehni and Purmandal Shrines, which is also called as ‘Chhota Kaashi’ has the potential of being a major attraction of pilgrimage tourism in Jammu region but unfortunately it has neglected by the present government.
The senior NC leader said that claims made by the BJP leadership about colossal development in J&K are contrary to the ground reality because people are confronting the dearth of infrastructure and facilities under the incumbent dispensation in J&K, which is an offshoot of the BJP Government at the Centre. He said that our heritage religious sites are in shambles but the Government is sitting like a mute spectator.
Rattan Lal asked the Government to bring Purmandal, Utterbehni and Chichi Mata Temple on tourism circuit so that unemployment, which is top in J&K as compared to others states of the country, could be tackled by creating new avenues for the youth of the State. He said there is dire need to create a special route for SRTC buses on the aforesaid religious sites, besides making suitable accommodation for the visiting pilgrims.
Today’s meeting was organized under the chairmanship of Prem Singh (Block president, NC). Pardeep Bali (provincial secretary), Abdul Ghani Teli (provincial president, OBC Cell), Vijay Lochan (provincial president, SC Cell), Sheikh Bashir Ahmed (provincial secretary, NC), Mohinder Singh (vice president, Central Zone) and Ashok Kumar Attri (vice president, Central Zone) accompanied the provincial president NC.
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