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Kashmir: Asia’s longest ski drag lift opened at Gulmarg
Chief minister Omar Abdullah says all tourist destinations should be opened; at Apharwat, he inaugurates the rotating conference hall, constructed by the JKCCC at a cost of ₹0.86 crore
Inaugurating Asia’s longest ski drag lift at the famous skiing resort of Gulmarg, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday once again raked up the issue of opening of tourist sites in Kashmir which were closed after the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said. He said the tourism sites weren’t closed even during the thick of militancy in 1996.
Along with ₹3.65-crore ski drag lift, measuring 726 metres, at Kongdoori, Omar dedicated a series of tourism infrastructure projects worth ₹17 crore. Talking to media persons, he said, “We can only raise infrastructure. The closure of tourist sites was not our decision. We have seen more bad situations than this. There is a lot of difference between the situation now and 1996 when tourism had restarted. But we did not close any destinations that time,” he said.
Kashmir tourism’s recovery has been slow this year after the Pahalgam attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by terrorists in Baisaran valley of Pahalgam on April 22.
Soon after the Pahalgam attack, there was an immediate flight of tourists out of the Valley and J&K LG administration closed more than 50 tourist destinations in the UT. However, after a security review, around 28 places have been reopened in a phased manner. “I would like a review of the decision and the destinations opened one by one,” he said.
Many, including chief minister Omar Abdullah, have pinned their hopes on weather to attract more tourists following the early snow activity in the Valley in early October. But the months of November and December, so far, have been largely dry.
“There has been a deficit of 90% in the rainfall in the past 45 days and there is no prediction of rain or snow till December 22,” he said.
The government said that Asia’s longest ski drag lift at Kongdori, Gulmarg, will significantly enhance skiing infrastructure and further strengthen Gulmarg’s standing on the international winter sports map.
Omar also inaugurated conservation works of a water body at Kongdoori, completed at a cost of ₹0.90 crore. At Apharwat, the CM inaugurated the rotating conference hall, constructed by the JKCCC at a cost of ₹0.86 crore. Besides laying foundation stone and dedicating a few other projects, he inaugurated the Integrated Skiing Training & Adventure Tourism Centre at Gulmarg.
