– J & K Minister for Tourism & Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora has said that Gurez has great potential for development of adventure tourism. He said that a tourism festival was organized by the Tourism Department at Gurez during 2007 and the department is going to again organize one more such festival this year to highlight the tourism potential of the area.
Mr. Jora, while replying to a question raised by Nazir Ahmad Gurezi in legislative assembly in Jammu on friday, said that Gurez has already been brought on the tourism map and incentives for setting up of tourism units are being provided to intending entrepreneurs as per the norms of the department. He said that 30 per cent capital outright investment subsidy up to Rs 30 lakh is being provided for setting up of new units and 50 per cent on training of personnel in tourism industry for a maximum period of 18 months and 40 per cent on diesel generating sets up to maximum subsidy of Rs one lakh. He said that 40 per cent subsidy is being provided to paying guest house owners for renovation of their guest houses up to maximum of Rs 2 lakhs, while as, 50 per cent on support for adventure and recreation tourism up to maximum of Rs five lakh, he further said that 50 per cent subsidy is being provided up to maximum of Rs one lakh to the intending persons for purchase of adventure tourism equipment.
The Minister said that Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned Rs. 3.65 crore for development of Gurez and Tulail valleys as tourism destinations. He said that under this programme, various tourism related works are in progress in the tehsil, adding that Rs 2 lakh have been placed at the disposal of SDM, Gurez for execution of 3 log huts.
The Tourism Minister said that Dhar-Mahanpur area has been notified in the Tourism Incentive Rules, 1995 under less developed area in category “B”.
Replying to a question raised by Jagdish Raj Sapolia, Mr. Jora said that the Tourism department has constructed sarai building at Mata Joudian for pilgrims and visitors. He said that construction work of TRC, Basholi costing Rs 1.83 crore is in progress.
Mr. Jora said that Union Minister of Tourism has sanctioned infrastructure development scheme for Lakhapur at a cost of Rs 2.64 crore. He said that the Ministry has also sanctioned Lakhanpur-Bani-Basholi Sarthal Tourism Circuit development programme at a cost of Rs 8 crore, for which Rs 6.39 crore have been released, so far.
Replying to the supplementaries raised by Raman Bhalla, Ashwani Sharma, A.R. Veeri, Nizam-ud-Din Bhat, Abdul Haq Khan, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta, Peer Afaq Ahmad, Syed Bashir Ahmad and Ms Sakina Ittoo, the Tourism Minister said that to showcase the tourism potential of the State, a strong publicity campaign has been launched through print and electronic media across the country to attract more and more tourists to the State. He said that organization of tourist melas was another area of attention for attracting the tourists. He said that Government was keen to explore hitherto unknown tourist spots to boost the tourism sector in the State.
The Tourism Minister said that a comprehensive strategy was needed to divert maximum number of Vaishno Devi pilgrims towards nearby tourist spots to promote tourism in Jammu division. He said that Cable Car project (Ropeway between Mubarak Mandi to Bagh-e-Bahu) is under tendering process and work on the project would start soon. (Read More at :- www.scoopnews,in)