J&K: 16 tourist spots that had been closed after Pahalgam terror attack reopened
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday announced the reopening of 16 out of 48 tourist sites that had been closed after the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, The Hindu reported.
The remaining tourist spots will also be reopened in a phased manner, he said.
Out of the 16 sites that have been reopened, eight are in the Jammu region, while eight are in the Kashmir region, according to The Hindu. The ones in the Jammu region are Sarthal, Baggar, Devi Pindi, Sehar Baba Waterfall, Sulha Park, Gul Danda, Jai Valley and Panchari.
In the Kashmir Valley, the sites that have been reopened are Verinag, Kokernag, and Achabal gardens in Anantnag, and Badamwari, Duck Park and Taqdeer Park near Hazratbal in Srinagar, The Times of India reported.
'Tourists have started arriving in large numbers,' Sinha said. 'The Central government is also facilitating official meetings and visits by parliamentary delegations here, which will further enhance confidence and contribute to an increase in tourist numbers.'
The lieutenant governor also urged citizens to play their part to ensure that the Amarnath Yatra is held peacefully. The pilgrimage will be held from July 3 to August 9.
'This is your [Amarnath] yatra,' Sinha said, according to The Hindu. 'It belongs to the people of Kashmir. Its success will uplift our economy and tourism sector.'
Forty-eight out of 87 tourist spots in Jammu and Kashmir had been closed a week after the terror attack at Baisaran near the town of Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 persons dead and 17 injured.
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Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 15 (ANI): A day after Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced the reopening of eight major tourist destinations to revive tourism and restore public confidence, several locations in Kashmir were thrown open to tourists on Sunday. The reopened sites include the picturesque Betaab Valley, the serene Verinag, Kokernag, Achabal Mughal Gardens, and multiple parks in Pahalgam town. The decision was welcomed by locals, political leaders, and tourists alike. These destinations had been temporarily closed following the terror attack at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen. With the reopening, tourists were seen flocking to the sites in large numbers. A female tourist in Pahalgam told ANI, 'This decision of the government is right. If there is no tourism, how will the locals survive? The government's initiative is good. Tourist places are reopening with adequate security. I urge everyone to visit and support tourism here...' Local politicians also hailed the decision. Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said, 'It's a welcome step. It sends a positive message to the nation that Kashmir is normal now. I appeal to people across India, come to Kashmir. It's as safe as your cities and homes.' Pahalgam MLA Altaf Kaloo said, 'The places have opened and the Amarnath Yatra is also going to start soon. This is a positive thing. In the coming time, all other tourist places will also open. The number of tourists has started increasing, which is a positive sign. Our message to the people of Jammu and Kashmir is that it is our duty to make the Yatra a success...' On Saturday, LG Sinha, during his visit to Pahalgam, had met delegations comprising MLAs, DDC chairpersons and vice-chairpersons, tour operators, Ponywala associations, and hoteliers. He assured them that other restrictions would be lifted after a thorough security review. Sharing an update on social media platform X, LG Sinha said, 'I've ordered reopening of some of the tourist spots in Kashmir & Jammu Divisions, which were temporarily closed as precautionary measures. Betab Valley & Parks in Pahalgam Market, Verinag Garden, Kokernag Garden and Achabal Garden to be reopened from 17th June.' He added, 'Other tourist destinations being reopened includes Badamwari Park, Duck Park, Taqdeer Park in Srinagar, Sarthal, Dhaggar in Kathua, Devi Pindi, Siyad Baba, Sula Park in Reasi, Guldanda & Jai valley in Doda and Pancheri in Udhampur. Reopening will be in phase-wise manner.' (ANI)
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Tourism in J&K's Pahalgam limping back to normalcy
Nearly two months after the deadly terror attack here left 26 persons dead, the tourism trade in this south Kashmir resort is limping back to normalcy as locals and a "trickle" from Punjab have started visiting the valley of shepherds after the Eid holidays. A significant number of Kashmiris from other parts of the valley made their way to Pahalgam on the third day of the Eid, much to the delight of people associated with the tourist trade in this resort, which is 100 kilometres from Srinagar . "We have been visiting Pahalgam every year irrespective of whether there has been a rush of tourists or not. So, it was no different this year. However, we did feel pampered this time," Nabeel Bhat, a youngster from Srinagar, told PTI here. Bhat was referring to "special attention" showered on the tourists by the locals of Pahalgam and the rock bottom prices for most services. The tourism trade came to a standstill in most of Kashmir after the April 22 terror attack on tourists at Baisaran, a meadow six kilometres from here, in which 26 persons -- 25 tourists and a local service provider -- were killed. Live Events The incident led to air skirmishes between India and Pakistan while cross border shelling took a toll of people along the Line of Control (LoC). "The service providers this time are more affable towards was not the case in the previous years when a large number of tourists used to flock to this place," said Aleena Jan, a resident of Srinagar's Civil Lines area. Most of the local tourists were happy that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had decided to open the parks at Pahalgam, saying it would attract more people to the place. "There is no better advertisement than word of people from various parts of Kashmir started to visit soon after Eid, but the numbers did not increase much as they had no place to sit as all the parks were closed. We hope that it will change now as the LG on Saturday announced that the parks will be opened again," said Mohammad Ishaq, a hut owner. Ishaq said that a few tourists from other states also returned to Pahalgam over the past 10 days. "Most of them were budget tourists from Punjab and they were left dejected as they could not explore the beauty of Pahalgam for which it is famous. We had Aaru closed, Betaab Valley closed and no one should expect Baisaran to open anytime soon," he added. Mohammad Ramzan, a ponywalla, said his community was hoping that the trend of increasing tourists visiting Pahalgam will continue. "Our peak season for earnings has we hope that more locals (Kashmiris) will visit us over the next few months before the onset of winter. That might offset some of the losses," he added. Basheer Ahmad, another ponywalla, said they were also hopeful that a large number of pilgrims will come for the Amarnath Yatra scheduled to begin from July 3. "We have a lesser number of pilgrims coming for the Amarnath Yatra via Pahalgam route now. We hope it will change this year," he said. A hotelier, who wished not to be identified, said the Amarnath Yatra usually does not impact his business. "The pilgrims stay in the Nunwan base camp, they do not venture out much for shopping and eating out. So that way, I have not attached much hope for getting direct business from the yatra," he said. The hotelier, however, added that a peaceful and successful yatra will immensely benefit the entire tourism sector of Kashmir as the pilgrims will be "our ambassadors to the rest of India". PTI
