Anantnag, May 14
Uncertainty looms over a number of eateries and dry fruit outlets along the national highway in the wake of a sluggish tourist inflow.

Dozens of new shops, eateries and dry fruit outlets have mushroomed along the Khannabal-Srinagar stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway after an overwhelming tourist inflow in 2012.

However, a slow start in terms of number of tourists this year has left the owners of these establishments a worried lot.

“After witnessing a mammoth inflow of tourists last year, I decided to invest in a cafeteria but if this month’s trends are anything to go by, I may have to suffer a huge loss,” said Adil Dar, who has invested a decent amount in his cafeteria near Bijbehara town.

The dry fruit and saffron outlets in Lethpora and Barsoo area near Pampore in Pulwama district have mushroomed since last year.

“We have been gearing up for the tourist season all through the winters. Moreover, we have invested a huge sum of money in establishing this shop,” said Muneer Ahmad, a saffron outlet owner in the Barsoo area. “We have kept our fingers crossed and hope to have a good tourist season.”

However, people related to the trade fear for the worse keeping in view the violence that followed the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Muhammad Afzal Guru.

“We hope the situation will turn up well. However, at the same time we can’t rule out the possibility that the hanging of Afzal Guru and the violence that followed will have a negative impact on the tourism sector,” said an eatery owner, wishing not to be named.

The Tourism Department, however, maintains the hanging of Afzal Guru and the subsequent violence will not have any impact.

“It’s too early to fathom the mood and I believe we are going to have a bumper tourist influx this year too,” said a senior official of the department. “The holidays are yet to start in many parts of the country and once they start we will have a good number of tourists visiting here.”

Over 9 million tourists visited the Kashmir valley in 2012. 

Srinagar, May 14
The Valley hoteliers have submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for improving the tourism infrastructure in the state.

The memorandum was submitted by the Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners Federation (KHAROF) and Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHARA) during the second meeting of the State Tourism Advisory Committee held at the Civil Secretariat yesterday.

The memorandum, as per KHAROF president Faiz Bakshi, underscored the need of upgrading the existing infrastructure of hotel industry. The hoteliers demanded direct flights to and fro major cities of the countries and more trains to the state from places like Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, Indore/Bhopal and Delhi from where a majority of the tourists visit Kashmir.

Other suggestions included preservation of heritage, sustained and organised effort for adventure tourism, Market Development Strategy with focus on areas of tourism potential within the country and outside like South-East Asia, Arabian countries, Central Asia etc, development of tourism cadre like police, forest etc, setting up of Business Development Cell and e-tourism portal for notifying services, tariffs and availability of accommodation, activities, formulation of policies for investment by private players and upgrade of tourist units.

“The tourism industry, of which the hospitality sector viz hotel industry is the main sector with an investment of hundreds of thousands of crores, is fragile and needs to be sustained, protected and developed to enable it to play its role in the economic development of the state. Moreover, it is the only industry in the state in general and the Valley in particular, which has a huge potential of growth,” the memorandum added.

Srinagar, May 14
As the Kashmir Tourism Festival kick started today, more stakeholders are coming forward with sops to lure more tourists to the Valley. While the Air India and several Valley-based hoteliers had already announced 20 per cent discount for the air travel and accommodations, tourists will also get special offers from GoAir and J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) during the two-week festival.

“A record tourist arrival was witnessed last year after the Air India and GoAir announced reduction in the fare. We hope that more tourists visit Kashmir this season,” Union Tourism Secretary Parvez Dewan said after the festival was thrown open here at the Kashmir Haat.

Speaking on the occasion, Tourism Minister GA Mir said the government this year was not after numbers or aiming to break previous visitors’ inflow, but it wanted to provide quality service to the tourists. He said they wanted that the tourists leave Kashmir in ‘good taste’ after attending the festival.

Director, Kashmir Tourism, Talat Parvez, said they were hopeful that the hotel occupancy would get back to 100 per cent, as the tourist arrival had taken a dip earlier this year. The tourist inflow was hit in the aftermath of the execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in February. Along with cultural programmes, Parvez said the department would also promote adventure sports activities we well.

Commissioner Secretary, Tourism, Atal Dulloo, said the JKTDC had announced special discounts for accommodation in huts and hotels during the festival to entice tourists.

Several performances highlighting the Kashmiri culture and art forms marked the inauguration of the festival.

The Tourism Department, along with the J&K Academy of Art Culture and Languages, is also hosting a two-month folk festival across the Valley these days that was inaugurated on May 4.

Handwara, May 14
Sweets are being distributed at the muddy house of Jamal-u-din Bhat (65) in remote Suddal village of Handwara tehsil as scores of people, including women from nearby villages, are visiting his house to celebrate his wife’s return 10 months after she went missing.

After an extensive search, Bhat found his wife Fatima Bibi (50) at an ashram in Gorakhpur near Nepal on Monday. Differently abled Bibi went missing on July 10 last year from the Gorkhpur railway platform. A resident of Rawalkote in Pakistan, Bibi went missing amid a crowd of commuters at the railway station, when the family had to board a train for their next destination.

At that time, the joy of returning home after 18 years was short-lived for Bhat and his two children due to the horrible incident. But now there are celebrations going around and children, including Zenab (10) and Renab (12), who missed their mother for all these months are happily living with her.

The family was on its way to their home from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir via Nepal border when the incident happened on July 10. “I am happy to find my wife after such a long time. I had to sold a kanal of land to manage the travel expenses and search for her across the country. Finally, I found her at an ashram in Gorakhpur,” Bhat said.

“She embraced me as I entered the ashram. She had lost the way and somehow landed at the ashram,” he added. Apart from relatives, inhabitants of nearby villages are also visiting the Bhat’s house to celebrate her return.

Apart from advertisements in the print media seeking information about his missing wife, Bhat had pasted her pictures at railway stations, bus stops and other public places in many cities of the country, including Delhi and Gorakhpur.

He said after an extensive search in Gorakhpur and its suburbs immediately after Bibi went missing last year, he was forced to leave for his native village along with his three children. “At that time I had no option but to give up the search and take my children to their motherland after nearly two decades. I reached here on July 17 and again left in her search the other day,” he said.

He complained that nobody from government came forward for his help and the police too didn’t pay much attention even after he had filed a missing person report. “The government makes hollow claims of rehabilitating the families and individuals under its rehabilitation policy. Had I not managed some money by selling land, I would have never found my wife again,” said Bhat.

Kupwara, May 14
Showkat Ahmad Najar of Kawari village in Kupwara district is set to take admission in BA (Ist year) at the Degree College, Kupwara. But unlike many other students of his school, he faced a lot of frustration before stepping into the university class.

Following a report published in The Tribune on April 28, highlighting the flaws in his result, the State Board of School Education re-opened the “unfair means” case against him and resolved it to his satisfaction.

According to the revised result, he has secured 88 marks in Education subject, in which he was declared fail earlier with 14 marks.

“I am thankful to the The Tribune for highlighting my genuine issue. The report published forced the BOSE to re-open the case. The revised result has saved a precious year of my career. I am happy to take admission in BA (Ist year),” said Showkat.

Son of a carpenter, Showkat said many a time he had to borrow money for travelling to the BOSE office in Bemina, Srinagar, in pursuance of his case but to no avail. “The newspaper report forced the BOSE authorities to reconsider my case in a time-bound manner. Secretary, Secrecy, Examinations gave a patient hearing to me and I was sure that like many others I had secured good marks in education,” he added.

Showkat had appeared in Class X11 examination under Roll No 519207, but was shocked to see his result as “unfair means” on January 23 this year. After several representations, his case was finally taken up for a review by the Unfair Means Committee of BOSE. On April 27, the BOSE issued a marks certificate in his favour, showing above 80 per cent marks in all subjects but only 14 marks in education. Following Secretary (Secrecy), Examination’s intervention, his case was re-opened on May 6 and finally the BOSE issued a revised notification on May 11, declaring him pass in education subject.

Kupwara, May 14
The construction of a middle school building under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Galoora village of Handwara Tehsil has led to severe confrontation between residents of two wards.

Strongly resenting the construction of the school building at ward no. 4, residents of ward no. 1 have demanded that the building should be constructed in their ward. They alleged that contractor of the building in connivance with some village elders laid the foundation of the school building overnight at ward no. 4.

They said the primary school was located in a rented building in their ward no. 1 since 2005. “In 2011, the school was upgraded to the middle school. As the school was in ward no. 1 since its inception, how could the authorities allow the construction of the school building in another ward,” said Habibullah Mir, a resident of ward no. 1.

The locals threatened to take to streets, if the authorities did not set up the school in ward no. 1. “We will be forced to hold protests, if the school was not set up in our ward. It is highly unfair to relocate the school in another ward after years,” said another resident.

The residents said there was already a government middle school in ward no. 4 and an additional school on the same premises was an open violation of norms.

“By shifting the school to ward no. 4, located at a good distance, the authorities are depriving our children of education. We appeal the director education, Kashmir, to personally intervene in the matter and resolve it at the earliest,” said Mohammad Ramzan.

Kupwara Chief Education Officer Ashok Kumar said, “I will look into the matter and the issue will be sorted out. Nobody from the village has come to me in this regard.”

Srinagar, May 14
Asking the people of Jammu and Kashmir to take cue from Pakistani voters for their overwhelming participation in the recent elections, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has said despite all odds the Pakistani public showed the resolve to bring about a change through democratic means.

“I foresee the people of the state leading the similar movement for the change and to take the functionaries of the present dispensation to task not only for their action but inaction as well,” Mehbooba said while addressing a PDP workers’ convention at Khan Sahib in Budgam district today.

Mehbooba alleged that the government had only brought political chaos, rampant corruption, administrative anarchy and denial of human rights to the state without making any positive contribution on political or developmental fronts. She said it was not only the constituencies represented by the Opposition that the government was victimising in respect of development, but the governance crisis was taking a toll in all areas and regions of the state.

“All major projects and schemes started by the previous coalition government have been shelved or become a victim of inefficiency, red tape and corruption,” she said.

Senior party leaders, Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari and Tariq Hameed Karra also spoke on the occasion.

Srinagar, May 14
There is no let-up in the strike of patwaris and girdawars, who are on an indefinite strike for over a month.

The representatives of the striking revenue employees were supposed to meet the Revenue Minister Aijaz Ahmed Khan today but the meeting could not be held due to certain engagements of the minister.

"We were to meet the minister in the civil secretariat today but the minister left for Jammu for some urgent meeting,” said a representative of the J&K Patwar Association. "We are hopeful of a breakthrough," he said.

Over 3,000 patwaris and girdawars are on an indefinite strike since April 7. They are demanding removal of pay anomalies and also seeking a ban on the direct recruitment of naib tehsildars. The strike had badly affected the functioning of the revenue department in the state.

The government has accepted the demands of the striking employees, the later are waiting for a formal order on the issue.

The Chief Minister had already told the Finance Ministry to sought issues of the striking revenue employees.

The government is hopeful of a breakthrough in coming days. 

Srinagar, May 14
Lamenting on the government’s apathy towards immense sufferings of people caused by continuous strike of patwaris (revenue officials) for the past over a month, CPM State Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has urged the Chief Minister to intervene and resolve the crisis in the Revenue Department.

In a statement issued here today, while expressing serious concern over cold shoulder response shown by the government towards striking patwaris, Tarigami stressed that the genuine demands of the patwaris on strike should be conceded by the government without any further delay. “The government should fulfill the demands of the patwaris,” he added.

Tarigami termed it regrettable that despite the efforts of the association to get the demands of the patwaris and girdawars fulfilled by means of petitions and prayers, the government has not taken any step to resolve them.

He flayed the government for its unwarranted announcement of holding the salary of patwaris who are on a strike. “The government if serious in addressing the sufferings of people, especially, people in dire need of revenue records must resolve the crisis emanated from the strike by the patwaris in the state,” Tarigami said.

Srinagar, May 14
A four-member delegation of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party called on the Governor NN Vohra at the Raj Bhavan here today.

The delegation, led by Bhim Singh, chief patron of the party, discussed with the Governor various political issues and matters relating to the speedy socio-economic development of the state, an official said.

The delegation included MLC Rafiq Ahmad Shah, the official added.

Srinagar, May 14
Impressed with the hospitality received during their visit here, a delegation of Canadian tourists has promised to urge their government to lift travel advisory on Kashmir.

“We will convey our countrymen that Kashmir is the most beautiful place in the world and it is a safe destination to visit. There are no security problems in Kashmir. We will convey this message to the fellow countrymen and will even write to the Canadian Government that it should lift travel advisory on Kashmir,” a Canadian tourist said while interacting with Minister for Tourism Ghulam Ahmad Mir here last evening.

The minister apprised the delegation that the state government was specially focusing on promoting tourism in the state. “We have not only developed new tourism spots, but upgraded world-class infrastructure facilities for tourists at the world famous destinations of the state, besides creating new attractions of adventure, heritage and eco-tourism as well as leisure tourism,” he said.

Mir also appealed other countries to allow their citizens to visit the state while adding that Jammu and Kashmir was as safe as other parts of the world. “We offer a beautiful blend of natural beauty and hospitality. Kashmir has lots of adventure activities in winter, where in Gulmarg is one of the key destinations offering skiing, heli-skiing, gondola and many more. Similarly for spring, we are blessed with flowers and one of the major attractions is the Tulip Garden at Srinagar,” he added.

The visit of the Canadian delegation to Kashmir is being facilitated by the Center Tour and Travels.

Muhammad Rafiq Karnai, Director, Centre Tour and Travel, said they had been working hard to pursue foreign tourists to visit Kashmir.