Estimates Committee of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today asked the Secretary Tourism Department to conduct a fresh survey to identify left out and ignored tourist destinations before implementation of new Tourism Policy in the state so that the people living in those areas would be benefitted.The meeting of the Committee held under the Chairmanship of MLA, Mohammad Ashraf Mir to discuss overall functioning of Tourism department, here today.Legislators, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, Mubarak Gul, Ch. Sukhnandan Kumar, Vikar Rasool Wani, Abdul Majid Padder, Shakti Raj Parihar, Yawar Ahmed Mir, Dr. Shehnaz Ganai and Javid Ahmed Mirchal attended the meeting and highlighted various developmental issues of the department.The Committee asked the concerned authorities to depute experienced technical staff to the Tourism Development Authorities so that the sustainable development can be seen on ground. The Committee also recommended that the funds should be enhanced for the development of pilgrim tourism in the state besides, taking necessary steps which to remove negative image of the state portrays by some section of national media.
Secretary Tourism, Sarmad Hafeez informed the Committee about the overall functioning of the department, besides vision, mission and objectives of various schemes and projects being carried-out by the department to develop tourism infrastructure in the state.He said that the department is taking all necessary steps for development of tourism sector in the state and numerous steps have been already taken to attract more tourists in the state.He also informed about the action plan to promote tourism, conservation and preservation of unique natural and cultural heritage of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh besides, up-gradation and improvement of the tourism infrastructure in different parts of the state. He also said that department is keen to promote pilgrim tourism in the state and efforts several measures have already been taken in this regard.He also briefed about the planning and execution of schemes for development, up-gradation and improvement of the tourism infrastructure in the state. The meeting was also informed about the physical and financial achievement made by the department.Among others, Director Tourism Kashmir, Mahmood Ah Shah, Director Tourism Jammu Smita Sethi, Director SKICC, Yasmeen Khan, Managing Director JKSCCC, Shamim Wani, Additional Secretary, Tourism Gulzar Ahmed, CEOs of various Tourism Development Authorities, Special Secretary Assembly, R L Sharma besides other senior officers of concerned department and Assembly Secretariat were present in the meeting.