Inquisitive tourists call upon their ponywalla (horsemen) to show them Cashmere (early spelling of Kashmir) and apple orchards in Pahalgam, which serves as a gateway to the holy cave-shrine of Amarnath, the abode of Lord Shiva.

Whether apples really grow there at an altitude of 7500 feet, I was myself bewildered. When I asked a horseman, he merely laughed, indicating how domestic tourists are serious and curious to see apple orchards in Kashmir, in their brief sojourn.

The Jammu and Kashmir Government’s Tourism Department, or may be the Pahalgam Development Authority, has designated a scenic spot in Pahalgam, as ‘Cashmere’. Astrologers believe if the name of Kashmir is re-christened as ‘Cashmere’, it will augur well for Kashmir. It will no more be the ‘vale of tears’. The ‘Paradise lost’ will be regained to its natives.

Kashmir’s Tourism Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir told me in Srinagar recently that 16 years of militancy had created hurdles in the development of world class tourism infrastructure. Only one-tenth of the valley’s potential had been exploited to attract tourists globally, he observed.

“Switzerland is man-made; but Kashmir is God made”, Mir averred. It is only Switzerland which rivals Kashmir. The valley is best and splendid in all its four seasons—spring, summer, autumn and winter. I surmise, if a contest is held between Switzerland and Kashmir, Kashmir will be declared as ‘Beauty Queen’.

The Tourism department has plans to introduce world-class golf tourism, because Asia’s best golf courses are available in Gulmarg. Now Sonamarg and Pahalgam will also be developed to attract golfers of international fame. Gulmarg is India’s premier ski resort. It has now a Gondola Cable Car, which goes up to Kongdori (10,200 ft) providing a down hill ski run of about three km. With the commissioning of the final phase of the project, skiers are now able to ride to a height of 14,000 ft in the Aparwat range, making Gulmarg, the highest lift-served ski resorts of the world.

The idea is to involve local people in tourism-related activities. For this purpose, Mir said, the State Government has developing ‘Village Tourism’. To begin with, 50 villages have been selected for the purpose. The Centre has come up with liberal aid of Rs 20 crore for each project, he said. Such measures are bound to provide major facilities for tourists.

New places like Drung (near Gulmarg), Dudpathri and Bangus are being developed to diversify tourist influx. Mir was sanguine that with the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, tourists from Pakistan will get attracted towards Kashmir. “They have an emotional attachment with our part of Kashmir”, he observed. Uri near the Line of Control, enroute to Muzaffarabad, will be developed as a new tourist destination. In fact, the entire scenic route will get a face-lift to cater to the new tourist traffic.

Snow skiing, rafting, trekking and water skiing will form part of the tourist trade in a big way, to add charm to the existing infrastructure. ‘Health Tourism’ and ‘Educational Tourism’ will be other attractions. The Government intends to set-up quality educational institutions to attract foreign students, who can take advantage of the salubrious valley atmosphere, he said.

ROAD TRANSPORT MESS
While the State Tourism Development Corporation is doing its best to take care of the tourists, the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) is in shambles. The officials often mess up with the seating arrangement, allotting the same seat to two or three tourists. Either the passengers indulge in unnecessary argument, or the ‘victim’ will be asked by the rude conductor to sit in the cabin next to the driver’s seat, where four to five additional passengers, picked up enroute, are herded together. There is no guide in the sight-seeing Government-run tourist buses.

Private sector will be involved in a big way to develop new sites. Hotel industry will receive a fillip with liberal financial assistance. It is for the private sector to play a vital role in giving full exposure to Kashmir’s beauty. Private operators can arrange special tourist bus trips and show them many other tourist resorts, other than Gulmarg and Pahalgam, not generally seen by the tourists for paucity of time.

During 988-89 the valley had attracted a record number of 7.22 lakh tourists. Subsequently tourism industry received a serious setback when peace got derailed because of terrorism. Last year, over four lakh tourists visited the valley, signalling revival of tourism in the border state. This year, the figure is likely to double, officials estimate.

The Mufti government is restoring the Dal Lake to its original glory. Since it is an ‘urban lake’ in the vicinity of the state’s summer capital Srinagar, it always faces the threat of decay. All kinds of sewage find way into it. A Parliamentary Standing Committee had recently slammed the J&K Government for the high level of effluents being pumped into the Dal Lake. The government has also come under flak for not doing enough to save the ‘exotic elegance’ of the Lake, on which the authorities claim to have spent Rs 8,897.23 crore for de-weeding. Now water treatment plants are being set up at three places and waste water is being treated before it falls into the lake.

During my visit to the Lake, I could see a large number of unwanted houses and houseboats in the lake, contributing to a high-level of pollution. The lake has shrunk in size considerably though it does still look majestic. However, the Tourism Minister told me that the government had its own limitations in acting fast.

For instance, he said, it is difficult to dislocate nearly one lakh people, who have been residing in the lake for decades. They form part of the Lake and supply fresh vegetables worth several crores of rupees. “I am a practical man”, he said, “and I know the consequences”. .

Encouraged by the heavy influx of Vaishno Devi pilgrims, the state government has drawn a comprehensive plan to diversity ‘pilgrim’ tourism. There are several shrines in the region, especially in Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Poonch and Rajouri, which will be developed as part of the pilgrimage circuit. Last year, 60 lakh pilgrims visited Vaishno Devi.

Two nights stay at Pahalgam, in the jocund company of pine trees, was quite hilarious. I could see ponywallahs ferrying tourists and making brisk business. On an average, a ponywalla earns from Rs 200 to Rs 400 per day. During peak season, it is more. There are 1300 ponies in the mountain town.

The tourists’ influx is continuing unabated, although militants’ wrath has hardly exhausted. The ‘play-field’ of the terrorists is being ‘snatched’ by the inquisitive tourists; who can deny good days are not around for Kashmir. May be it is time to heed the astrologer and change Kashmir into Cashmere.


Courtesy : Syndicate Features

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