——S. A. Hemanth——-
Bengaluru, March 22: There is a remarkable qualitative transformation in the overall atmosphere of Jammu and Kashmir going by the number of tourists – both domestic and international – visiting that border state in recent times.
The Newz Peg spoke to as many as seven out of 18-member team from Bangalore who visited different parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to them, government of Jammu and Kashmir along with the Army has opened Gurez and Karnah border areas close to Line of Control (LoC) which are known for its “stunning scenic beauty”
Says, Annapurna, a home-maker from Vidyaranyapura, a member of the 18-member team, “We were surprised to see hundreds of tourists roaming around in Kashmir valley without any fear of attack. The atmosphere was absolutely friendly. There was no tension at all in the air”
Anjali Nayak of Doddabommasandra, who was also the member of this group, echoed similar opinion.
“Of Course, there was heavy presence of Army personnel. But there was no tension or apprehension on their face. They were relaxed and they easily mingled with us. They also showed the PoK from where we were standing at Gurez,” she said.
With this encouraging response from domestic tourists, the Janmu and Kashmir administration and the Army are mulling to open Uri border area, which, hitherto, a place out of bounds for tourists.
Uri area is considered to be another place of scenic beauty with a mixture of plain, grasslands as well as mountains.
Lakshman Gowda of Abbigere said, “We have to take permission from the local government office to visit the border areas. The demand to see the border areas is increasing due to exposure in the media. I was thrilled to see PoK just across the border.”
Subedar Major P. B. Thapar (Retd) who is working with the tourism department told The Newz Peg that the people want to see the Army personnel, their weapons and arms as “there is tremendous amount of curiosity” following the media coverage of the action. “But we cannot throw open our weapons for the civilians to see. There is something known as thus-far-no-further. The curious people ask hundreds of questions about the enemy and Army operation. We gently avoid them,” the Subedar Major added.
The decision of the Jammu and Kashmir government to throw open Teetwal and Bandipora, two more border areas, has enabled the Sharada Peetha organisation to construct a temple for Goddess Sharada at Teetwal.
The three-foot idol of Goddess Sharada was carried from Sringeri to Teetwal via Bangalore in the month of January.
After the temple is inaugurated, it is expected that thousands of people from Karnataka will visit Teetwal, the border village in Kashmir.
EOM
