Prime Minister Modi again becomes 1st to place on board idea of ‘one state, one global tourist destination’

Let us have a very brief reference to the potential areas for high potential summer/ winter/ pilgrim/adventure /health resort/ sports tourism potential in areas extending over Kathua/ Udhampur/Doda/ Kishtwar/ Rajouri/Pooneh districts where the project “one state, one global tourist destination" could be laid .

- DAYA SAGAR

Kishtwar and Doda Districts of J&K are relatively still economically and administratively backward even after 77 years of Independence inspite of the fact that these areas have substantial potential for exploitable commercial summer tourism as well as pilgrim tourism. “One” may plead that the climate enroute to possible exploitable tourist spots / areas in Jammu region is warm/ rough in summer unlike that in Kashmir valley but the governments cannot take shelter under such pleas keeping in view that even in dessert like Dubai and similarly situated areas in HP high potential commercial tourism has been promoted& sold sucessfully even abroad. Ghulam Nabi Azad on 19-08-2006 when he was inaugurating week long "Kailash Tourism festival" at Bhaderwah had said that Doda, Pooneh, Rajouri, some parts of Kathua, Udhampur , Kupwara and Baramulla are glaring example of discriminatory policies which were propagated by the successive Governments in the State. Mr. Muzaffar Hussain Baig too had then accused previous governments for discriminating with Jammu saying that Jammu region has huge tourism potential but Governments had not cared to explore the potential. But only aa few tiny tourist projects / circuits of values of just 5 to 20 crore INR have heen talked of by the political leadership for these areas. To quote block Panchari earlier fell nearly in three assembly constituencies viz Reasi, Chenani and Udhampur but here to summer tourism potential has not been commercial ly exploited even when area is so near to District HQ Udhampur and the Katra Shri Mata Vaishno Devi.