SRINAGAR : Jammu and Kashmir government today said it will bring Tosa Maidan, a picturesque meadow in Budgam district vacated by Army last year, on the tourism map of the state without affecting its ecology.
Tosa Maidan will be incorporated within the jurisdiction of Doodpathri Development Authority and be brought on the tourism map of the state as an independent resort without disturbing its fragile environment, J-K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said while replying to NC leader Omar Abdullah’s question in the Assembly.
“We want to provide the facilities needed by the tourists in the Gujjar Kothas (mud-and-wood dwellings) at Tosa Maidan which will not affect the ecology and environment,” he said.
Tosa Maidan, which was used by the Army as an artillery firing range for several decades, was handed back to the state government last year following hectic efforts by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
“Tosa Maidan as a tourist resort, has tremendous potential of becoming an independent destination,” Sayeed said, while assuring that the surface connectivity leading to the meadow would be developed on priority basis.
The Chief Minister stressed on greater public-private interface to create a sustainable revenue model by optimally utilising the tourism infrastructure.
On the issue of grazing rights of nomadic Gujjar community at places developed as tourist destinations, raised by MLA Gool-Arnas Ajaz Ahmad Khan, Sayeed said the government is concerned about their livelihood and the community would be made a stakeholder in the tourism sector. (PTI)
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