Minister for Education, Mr. Naeem Akhter today informed the House that Union Ministry of Tourism under “Product Infrastructure for Development under Destination and Circuit (PIDDC) Scheme” has sanctioned a mega project development of mega tourist circuit from Naagar Nagar to Watlab at a cost of Rs. 38.15 crore. He said that under the project Rs. 18.87 crore released by the Centre have been expended in full for the development of various infrastructure facilities in the circuit.Replying to a question by Haji Abdul Rashid, the Minister said that among other components, the Tourism Department has constructed six huts at Watlab under the project. He said, however, some basic facilities like water supply, construction of septic tank/soakage etc have not been provided to these huts as the funds have been stopped by Union Ministry of Tourism due to the delinking of PIDDC scheme from the year 2014-15.The Minister said the Union Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned a project ‘Development of Rural Village Watlab’ under rural tourism scheme at a sanctioned cost of Rs. 69.61 lakh. He said that the project stands completed with the creation of components such as reception-cum-interpretation centre Watlab, lavatory block, viewing deck, ghat and signages under Hardware component of the project. He said that besides holding of workshops for disposal of solid and liquid waste/sanitation programme, skill development for local boat making communities and setting up of website for Wullar Lake under Software Component have been executed.
The Minister said that tourist huts at Watlab are already connected through a fair-weather road. He said that the internal electrification of the huts has also been carried out besides a 25 KVA sub-station stands installed at the site to cater the electric load of the existing dormitory.The Minister said that in order to provide basic facilities at Ziyarat Baba Shkur-ud-Din Sahib(R.A), the Tourism Department has constructed dormitory.He said that the department has adopted a strategy for promotion of tourism in the state by way of organizing festivals, tourist travel marts, road shows, printing of brochures etc. He said that wide publicity is given through print and electronic media to attract both foreign and domestic tourists to the valley including these areas.Responding to supplementaries of the members, the Minister widened why the work was not started for development of Saderkote as tourist village when the project was already sanctioned. He said that the concerned department would be asked to expedite the work on Narang Naag tourism village for its time bound completion.He said that widening of Baba Shukur-ud-Din(R.A) road would be considered.Mr. Usman Abdul Majid, Yawar Ahmed Mir, Advocate Bashir Ahmed Dar and Mian Altaf Ahmed raised supplementaries to the main question.