Review decision to declare land in Gulmarg, Sonamarg as “strategic areas”: Tarigami

Srinagar, Jan 6: CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Thursday said that the Jammu and Kashmir government must review its decision to declare 1034 kanals of land at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg and 354 kanals in another popular tourist destination Sonmarg as “strategic areas” for the use of armed forces as these are two most popular tourist destinations in the valley.
“There are already a lot of areas with the army for such purposes. Gulmarg and Sonamarg along with Pahalgam are three most popular tourist destinations in the Valley which need to be promoted for tourism purposes,” Tarigami said in a statement.
He said that the need of the hour is to develop tourism infrastructure in Kashmir which can generate employment for burgeoning numbers of unemployed youths. “So-called real estate development by the government can’t generate employment or create livelihood opportunities, but are only meant for giving benefits to the corporate sector.”
“We hope that the government will review its decision and focus on developing tourism in Gulmarg, Sonamarg and other tourist destinations,” he said.