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| Tourism and tourist resorts in Jammu neglected | | | While the successive state Governments have not initiated firm measures for developing new tourist resorts in the Kashmir valley no step has been taken to encourage and promote tourist traffic to various scenic resorts in the Jammu region.If one carries out a survey within India and in some foreign countries one will find a large number of people aware of tourist resorts like,Pahalgam,Gulmarg,Kokernag,Sonamarg and various lakes in the Kashmir valley but none will be knowing the forested slopes of Kud , Batote,Patnitop,Sudh Mahadev and Mantalai and the scenic lakes like Mansar,Surinsar.It is so because the successive state Governments have neither developed these tourist resorts nor created awareness among the tourists visiting Kashmir and the pilgrims for Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.
Over the years an impression has been developed which has convinced,rightly or wrongly,that the Kashmir valley alone has the potential for tourism industry.And when since 1987 the pilgrim traffic to Mata Vaishno Devi assumed new dimensions the Kashmir centric leaders quickly segregated pilgrim traffic from tourist traffic to the state.They gave pilgrim tourism a new name to the yatris visiting the Vaishno Devi Shrine without knowing the potential the pilgrim traffic has on the economy of the state and its people.One can imagine the extent of pecuniary gains and benefits from over 80 lakh pilgrims who visit the shrine round the round.This way the tourist traffic to the Kashmir valley,the annual number ranging between five lakhs and eight lakhs,is simply one tenth of the number visiting Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.Unfortunately all the successive state Governments have not taken in hand measures for encouraging these pilgrims for extending their
visit to Jammu by visiting the region's lakes,forested slopes and religious places which have historic importance.
Not more than one per cent of the total pilgrims visiting the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi make it to Mansar,Sanasar,Patnitop,Purmandal,Dera Baba Banda,Sudh Mahadev,Gauri Kund,Krimchi,Salal Dam and the lake there.Possibly the state Government considers the swelling pilgrim traffic to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine a golden hen with the aim of depending on the pilgrimage for economic gains for the state and its people. Also,if the successive state Governments,including the centre,have neglected tourism in the Jammu region it is the result of very meagre yearly allocation of funds for this sector.Government reports indicate that out of Rs.100 earmarked for the tourism sector Rs.10 are allocated for the Jammu region and Rs.85 for the Kashmir valley.The centre has earmarked Rs.285 crores for the oustees of the Dal and the Nigin lakes under the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme but not a penny for the conservation and development of Mansar and
Surinsar lakes.Let this discrimination be ended in the interest of development of tourist resort and tourism sector.
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