Srinagar, Dec 13: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the continued closure of several tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir after the Pahalgam attack is hurting livelihoods and damaging the region’s image, and called for an urgent review of the decision, saying such steps contradict official claims of normalcy.
Addressing a press conference at Gulmarg, Omar said decisions to close tourist destinations are taken without consulting elected government.
He said if he had been part of the decision-making process, destinations would have been reopened by now, adding that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed far worse situations in the past.
Referring to the post-1996 period, the Chief Minister said tourism had resumed despite difficult security conditions, yet destinations were not shut at that time. He said the situation today is completely different, but several destinations remain closed, which needs to be reviewed.
Omar said the closures are not limited to Gulmarg alone. “Half of Gulmarg is closed, half of Pahalgam is closed, Doodhpathri is closed and several other destinations are shut,” he said as per KNS, adding that as long as these destinations remain closed, claims of normalcy will not be credible.
Omar said the decision to close destinations should be reviewed and tourist spots reopened in a phased manner. He said whether the review is carried out at Lok Bhawan or the Government of India level is secondary, but a clear decision must be taken.
Linking tourism with weather conditions, the Chief Minister said Jammu and Kashmir is currently facing drought-like conditions, with nearly 90 per cent reduction in rainfall over the past one-and-a-half months. He said there is no forecast for rain or snowfall before December 20–22, which has further affected tourism prospects.
Omar said climate change is impacting tourism across the region and not in isolated areas, adding that both the government and the people must adapt.
He stressed proper use of water, water conservation, rainwater harvesting, revival of check dams and pollution control to protect tourism and livelihoods.
Omar also said that the Tourism Ministry, Government of India has been supportive, but reiterated that the continued closure of destinations remains the biggest concern for the tourism sector.
Questioning the message being sent outside Jammu and Kashmir, Omar said on one hand the government tells the world that the situation has normalised, while on the other hand key tourist destinations remain closed. He said this creates confusion and sends a negative signal about Kashmir.
Speaking on the power sector, the Chief Minister said many power failures occur due to overloading of transformers. He said people often understate their electricity load at the time of agreement but later install multiple heating appliances, which leads to transformer burnouts.
He added that honest declaration of load would help the power department install suitable transformers and prevent frequent breakdowns.
The Chief Minister said regular load shedding is unavoidable due to limited power availability and revenue shortfall, adding that the power department runs at a loss as it does not recover adequate revenue for the electricity supplied.(KNS)
