At a time when tourist season has started in Kashmir Valley, the tourist park (Chinar Bagh) located at Dalgate in absence of maintenance is in shambles. The tourist players while accusing tourist department of grave negligence told CNS that the lack of facilities and ugly condition of Chinar Bagah creates negative impression on visiting tourists. “We fail to understand what the Tourism Department has been doing. The incumbent Director Tourism is invisible and doesn’t take care of anything in the department. He argues when we suggest him something,” they said.“Look at the Chinar Bagh, it stinks. There is heap of garbage inside the park. Nobody from the department cares to remove that garbage. There are no lights and the park turns into a desert shortly after the desert,” they said adding that Tourism Department has miserably failed to refurbish or maintain this park as a result of which it has become a hub of illegal activities.
The Chinar Bagh was inaugurated with much hype during Omar Abdullah’s regime, but after the September 2014 floods this park was left unattended.“Daily wagers appointed in Tourism Department used to take care of this park, but now nobody arrives here. The drug addicts roam freely in the park. Hundreds of liquor and codeine bottles are lying there. Wild grass has grown which gives bad impression to visitors,” the tourism players said and appealed Deputy Commissioner Srinagar to look into the matter.They further added that the parks and gardens across city are largely in shambles which otherwise are meant for public amusement and recreation. The tourism players said it is irony that almost all the street light on famed Boulevard road are defunct and no measures are taken to repair them.Despite repeated attempts Director Tourism could not be contacted. (CNS)