Archives-Sarthal hills to host 3 lakh tourists 3 States join hands to promote tourism in Jammu

Sarthal hills to host 3 lakh tourists

3 States join hands to promote tourism in Jammu

 Courtesy: www.dailyexcelsior.com

JAMMU, May 24: To promote tourism in a big way and convert Sarthal hills, located between Bani and Bhaderwah which were once dominated by militants mostly foreign mercenaries, into a tourist hub, three States including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have joined hands to hold biggest ever tourist extravaganza in the hills for five days in first week of next month.

This is for the first time that a tourist festival spread over one lakh kanals of land and likely to be attended by more than three lakh people of three States will be held in Jammu from June 4-8.

In addition to three State Governments, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has also joined hands in tourist promotion plan in Jammu, official sources said.

Besides the State Government, Chamba and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh and Gurdaspur district of Punjab have associated themselves with the grand tourist festival.

Tented accommodation to accommodate three lakh persons including tourists, students, artists, tour operators and temporary stall owners has been erected in Sarthal hills, which have motorable road from Pathankote in Punjab, Banikhet in Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh) and Bani-Basohli in Kathua. Distance to the hills from all three places ranged between 50 to 80 kms. Special arrangements of transport to carry tourists to the hills are being made by the three State Governments and local administration.

Minister of State for Finance and Revenue and MLA Bani, Prem Sagar Aziz, who has been co-ordinating efforts to hold first ever tourist festival in Sarthal hills as also the first ever on such a large scale in Jammu, was camping in the hills for last one week. According to him, weather in the hills was more pleasant than Gulmarg or Patnitop and he was expecting number of tourists to even surpass the target of 3 lakh.

Mr Aziz said Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Mani Shankar Aiyer, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and several Ministers, legislators and prominent persons of J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab were expected to join the tourist festival. Mr Azad was expected to even stay in the hills for the night on June 7, a day before the festival concludes.

Artists from different parts of the country besides cultural troupes from three States and students from all 22 districts of Jammu will join the festival. Tour and travel operators across the country have been mobilised by the organisers to join the festival, sources said.

Surrounded by natural greenery of deodars, Sarthal hills were home to a number of militant outfits especially Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba including the foreign mercenaries as they connected Bhaderwah tehsil from Bani and Basohli and helped them to reach their destinations in militancy infested Doda district. A series of encounters took place in Sarthal hills during last 10 years. 

However, it was during past two years that after a series of operations launched by security forces and police to flush out militants from Sarthal that the hills have now nearly become free of militants. Still, taking no chance, the para-military personnel and police from Kathua and Doda districts will ensure security at the venue.

Sources said the tourist festival was also aimed at promoting the tourist circuit Bani-Lakhanpur-Bhaderwah-Kishtwar-Sinthan Top-Srinagar which has been proposed in Prime Minister’s Re-construction plan and was also part of Finance Minister’s budget speech. The tourist circuit will immensely shorten the distance to Kashmir from Lakhanpur, sources said, adding the Tourism Department has set the process of road construction in motion.

   Courtesy: www.dailyexcelsior.com