Jahangeer Ganaie
Pahalgam, Jun 10: The picturesque tourist spot of Aru valley in the famous tourist destination, Pahalgam, in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, craves for proper mobile network connectivity.
Located around 12 km from Pahalgam; Aru is known for its scenic meadows, lakes and mountains, and is a base camp for trekking to the Kolahoi Glacier and Tarsar Lake. However, tourists and locals complain of the lack of a proper mobile network in the area. The tourists and locals at the picnic spot said that the lack of mobile connectivity is limiting Aru’s potential of becoming a famous tourist hub in the valley.
“Though we enjoyed the scenic beauty of Aru, the lack of mobile connectivity disappointed us,” said Arun, a tourist from Uttar Pradesh, adding that he wanted to make a video call to his relatives and friends.
The government must think about it as it is not far away from Pahalgam, he added.
The local visitors and vendors echoed similar concerns, saying they face difficulties without a mobile network.
“All the tourists who come here have always complained about the lack of mobile network. Rest, everything is fine here,” said Zakir, who owns a restaurant at Aru.
That is why no tourist stays here for long,” Zakir said. “This is affecting our business. The government must seriously look into it to attract more tourists here.”
District Development Commissioner (DDC) Anantnag, Syed Fakhrudin Hamid, who is also the Deputy Commissioner (DC), said that the government is working on it. “We are hopeful that Aru will have a 4G network facility very soon,” he said.
