Maharashtra has become one of the first States to stake claim to land in Jammu & Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. The State government has asked the Centre to facilitate revenue land for state-of-the-art tourism resorts both in J&K and Ladakh, State Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal said.
Mr. Rawal met Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel to present his demands, which included land for the resorts, in New Delhi. The Minister also participated in the conference of State tourism ministers along with a delegation of the State Tourism Board. “We are leading amongst all States when it comes to sectors like economy and finance. But we wish to do so even in tourism. As part of this vision, we want to develop one-of-a-kind resorts in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh,” Mr. Rawal said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his speech on the abrogation of Article 370 said the bifurcation of the State would open up the path of development, including construction projects and industries. The State has already proposed the plans to Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, who has assured help. The government and the Tourism Board will soon allocate funds for the same, the Minister said. “The resorts will cater to not only tourists from our State but to everyone who visits J&K on a religious pilgrimage. Ours will be the first State to service this class of tourists in the entire country,” Mr. Rawal said after the meeting.
The State delegation also presented its demand to ease regulations related to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), which it said is hindering development of tourist spots in the State. The Centre assured that the demands will looked into. “We have hundreds of forts under the watch of the ASI but strict norms are limiting our capacity to develop these areas,” Mr. Rawal said.
