Govt lifts ban on travel of tourists to Valley

Tribune News Service

Srinagar October 7

As Kashmir is limping back to normalcy, the Jammu and Kashmir Government on Monday lifted the ban on travel of tourists to the Valley from October 10.

Governor Satya Pal Malik directed that the Home Department's advisory asking tourists to leave the Valley be lifted immediately. "This (lifting of security advisory) will be done with effect from October 10," said an official statement.

The decision was taken during a situation-cum-security review meeting today chaired by the Governor with the Advisors and the Chief Secretary.

In the run-up to the decision on the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories, the state government had issued an advisory on August 2 asking tourists and Amarnath pilgrims to immediately leave the Valley.

The Principal Secretary, Home, Shalin Kabra, in the security advisory, had asked pilgrims and tourists to "curtail their stay" and "return as soon as possible."

 The Governor has been holding situation-cum-security review meetings on a daily basis for two hours generally from 6 to 8 pm each day since August 5. Initially, the meetings focused on reviewing the security scenario following the imposition of restrictions.

For the past six weeks, all security restrictions were removed in most parts of J&K.

In today's meeting, the Governor was also briefed about BDC elections. He was informed that there was active interest in the elections and most of the seats of chairpersons of BDCs would be filled.