Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 23: Minister for Tourism, Ghulam Ahmad Mir has asked the concerned authorities not to allow constructions at tourism spots in haphazard manner which affects the environment of the resorts, adding that building permissions should be given by the competent authority only after qualifying all requisite formalities as per the Master Plans of the tourism spots.
Chairing Sonamarg Development Building Operation and Controlling Act (BOCA) meeting held here today, the Minister underscored the need for demarcation and transfer of identified land to the SDA without further delay. He instructed the revenue authorities to expedite the process in this regard and ensure eviction of encroached land at Sonamarg bowel and adjacent areas for handing over the same to SDA.
He directed the concerned authorities to keep close coordination with each other and fix deadline for removal of impediments confronting the development of tourism at Sonamarg destination. The Tourism Minister said that building permissions should be issued only as per the Master plan and no discrimination should be made to anyone in this regard.
He asked the concerned not to make excuses and be committed for the welfare and development of the State. “Our motive is to promote quality tourism which needs quality infrastructure, for the purpose the locals should be encouraged by facilitating them with technical know-how and financial assistance to create tourist related infrastructure at the spots without affecting the environs”, he advised.
Mr. Mir also suggested engaging consultants to survey upcoming tourism spots for creation of varied infrastructure and added that their recommendations should be incorporated while issuing permissions for construction by the BOCA members. He directed the BOCA Sonamarg to submit the list of stakeholders in whose favour the permission for construction of tourist related infrastructure was issued.
Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Atul Duloo, Commissioner Secretary Forests, Ejaz Iqbal, Chairman State Pollution Control Board Vinod Ranjan, Principal Chief Conservator, Abhay Kumar, District Development Commissioner Sarmad Hafiz, Director Tourism Kashmir Talat Parvez, Director Remote Sensing, Chief Executive Officer, SDA, and other senior officers of concerned departments attended the meeting.
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