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| Jammu gets peanuts in tourism promotion budget, Valley lion's share | | Just 30% for Jammu region | | Peerzada Ummer
Early Times Report
srinagar, Sept 23: The non-serious approach of the government in promoting Jammu's tourism could be gauged from annual budget allocated for the tourism promotion in the state.
According to official documents in possession of Early Times, the total amount of revenue budget approved for promotion/publicity of tourism in the state is Rs 1280 lakh.
For Kashmir province the amount spent on tourism promotion is whopping Rs 800 lakh while for Jammu the amount spent for region's tourism promotion is mere Rs 480 lakh, which means around 30 percent.
The records while unmasking the claims of the government in prioritising Jammu's tourism promotion have also put the lid off over how much serious the authorities were in bringing Jammu's various tourist places on state's tourism map.
The authorities earlier had claimed that mega-projects have been launched to upgrade tourism infrastructure in places like Shiv-Khori, Budha Amarnath and other places of tourist interests. It was also claimed that 'prestigious projects' like Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex, Artificial Lake and Cable Car projects have been undertaken to add to the tourist attraction of the city.
However, there are dismal facts coming to fore revealing how matters demanding immediate attention have been left unattended vis-a-vis tourism promotion in Jammu.
Documents reveal that the construction of Patnitop Ropeway Project was earlier awarded to M/S Patnitop Ropeway and Resorts Ltd (a subsidiary of M/S Nag Arjuna Construction Company Ltd Hyderabad) on built own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis and the agreement in this regard was signed in the year 2007. However the project could not be started due to Supreme Court clearance. The clearance was later granted in the year 2014.
However, as two years have passed since the issuance of clearance, the ropeway continues to remain a distant dream.
Sources in the state's tourism department reveal that there is much amount of non-seriousness done in promoting Jammu's tourism outside the state. "This is bizarre that the government spends hundreds of crores every year on the promotion of Kashmir tourism. Everyone knows about Kashmir's tourism, river streams, tourist resorts and glaciers. Funds are ought to be spent on those places which are unknown. It would have been sane if government would have spent a major chunk of tourism publicity fund on Jammu tourism- there are hundreds of places in Jammu that are unknown to the outer world," says the official wishing not to be named for he was not authorised to speak on the issue.
Furthermore, as the government is beating the trumpet of promoting pilgrimage tourism in the state, Jammu too in this regard hasn't been kept as a priority. The places like Purmandal, Dera Baba Banda, Krimchi and the iconic Raghunath Temple are finding a least mention in tourism promotion list. |
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