Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today directed aggressive promotion of golfing in Jammu & Kashmir as an important component of State’s tourism.Chairing the Governing Body meetings of Royal Springs Golf Course, Srinagar and Tawi Golf Course, Sidhra here today, the Chief Minister said golf attracts the high end tourists and the concerned Department should make efforts to promote golfing in the State among this high spending crowd of the country and abroad. She asked for promoting the Golf Courses in the State by setting up stalls at various Golf Courses across the country.As an additional activity, the Chief Minister, who is also the chairperson of these Governing Bodies, asked for activating the Golf Development Authority for sharing the expertise and machinery support among various Golf courses for betterment of their services. She also directed promotion of Royal Springs and Tawi Golf Courses among the corporate industry to improve their revenue position. In this connection, she suggested devising weekend packages for the intending tourists.
The Chief Minister directed proper fencing of the Royal Springs Golf Course and Tawi Golf Course to prevent the entry of Bears and Boars onto the Courses and damage to the turfs. She also directed setting up of a committee of officers headed by Principal Secretary to Chief Minister to look into the issues of employees at the two Golf Courses.Mehbooba Mufti directed plantation of the adjacent land at RSGC with High Density Apple trees to add to the aesthetic appeal of the Golf Course. She also directed upgradation and induction of machines at the two Golf Courses to maintain the turf.Minister of State for Tourism, Priya Sethi; Chief Secretary, B. B. Vyas; Director General of Police, Dr. S. P. Vaid; Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Rohit Kansal; Secretary, Tourism, Farooq Ahmad Shah; Secretary to Chief Minister, M. H. Malik; Directors of Tourism, Kashmir and Jammu, Secretaries and members of RSGC and TGC and other officers attended these meetings.