Centre Plans Tourism Meet In Pahalgam

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- In a significant move to bring the tourists back to Kashmir, the Centre is planning a high-level review meeting in Pahalgam on July 7 and 8, sources said on Wednesday.

Top sources said that the meeting is being organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and will be attended by tourism secretaries from all the states.

They said the high-level meeting is being held in Pahalgam to give a clear message to the people and tourists that the destination is safe and they need not to worry.

They said that the Jammu and Kashmir government may also build a memorial for the victims of the Pahalgam attack within the next six months.

On April 22 this year terrorists killed 26 innocent civilians, mostly tourists, in the Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam, bringing the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir to a grinding halt.

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According to the officials, there has been a sharp decline in the number of tourists visiting Pahalgam - from 18,000 in April to just 3,000 in June.

Preparations are underway to revive the stalled tourism Industry they said. Tourism in Pahalgam and other parts of the Valley has suffered a major setback, severely affecting livelihoods in the region,” they said.

After the April 22 terror attack the occupancy in hotels across the region also declined drastically.“Most of the advance bookings were cancelled and the footfall has almost been negligible,” an official said.

The Centre and the J&K government have been making all-out efforts to bring tourists back to Kashmir to revive the stalled tourism industry.

Last week, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat visited Baisaran, the site of the terror attack and praised the resilience and spirit of the Kashmiris.

He also assured that foolproof security measures would be in place for the upcoming Amarnath Yatra and tourists visiting the Valley.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also chaired a cabinet meeting in Pahalgam, a first of its kind, to send a clear message that violence has no place in Jammu and Kashmir.

Parliamentary Panel To Visit Kashmir

A parliamentary panel will visit the Kashmir Valley in the first week of July, marking the first such official tour since the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 civilians, most of them tourists.
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel, chaired by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, is scheduled to tour Srinagar as part of a wider itinerary that also includes stops in Mumbai and Coorg.
In preparation for the visit, the Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed S.P. Rukwal, Director of Geology and Mining, as the nodal coordinator for the committee's visit. According to an official order, Rukwal will manage all logistical, administrative, and protocol-related arrangements.
Two additional officers from the Mining Department have also been assigned to work in close coordination with the Lok Sabha Secretariat to ensure the smooth conduct of the tour.
This marks the first parliamentary visit to the region following the Baisaran tragedy, after which several scheduled visits by other panels-including the Committees on Home Affairs, Housing & Urban Affairs, and the Joint Parliamentary Committee-were quietly withdrawn in the wake of security concerns.
The visit is being seen as a symbolic return of parliamentary engagement in the Valley and a step towards restoring normalcy after the recent violence.a parliamentary panel will visit the Kashmir Valley in the first week of July, marking the first such official tour since the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 civilians, most of them tourists.
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel, chaired by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, is scheduled to tour Srinagar as part of a wider itinerary that also includes stops in Mumbai and Coorg.
In preparation for the visit, the Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed S.P. Rukwal, Director of Geology and Mining, as the nodal coordinator for the committee's visit. According to an official order Rukwal will manage all logistical, administrative, and protocol-related arrangements.
Two additional officers from the Mining Department have also been assigned to work in close coordination with the Lok Sabha Secretariat to ensure the smooth conduct of the tour.
This marks the first parliamentary visit to the region following the Baisaran tragedy, after which several scheduled visits by other panels-including the Committees on Home Affairs, Housing & Urban Affairs, and the Joint Parliamentary Committee-were quietly withdrawn in the wake of security concerns. –With inputs from KNO

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