City doc couple shares experience of recent J&K visit

After the brutal attack and killing of innocent tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday, a local doctor couple, who returned after spending four days in J&K on April 21, shared their experience that how the valley had attracted swarm of tourists.

At the same time, the family maintained that there were negligible security arrangements for tourists. Talking to The Tribune, Dr GS Grewal, a physician, said he along with his wife, daughter and another friend had left Chandigarh for Srinagar in a plane on April 18. The 180-seater plane was packed to its capacity.

“No tourist spot was empty. The Tulip Garden is outsourced to some private player and the ticket was Rs 150 per person. The local guide told us that recently on one of Sundays, there was a footfall of 88,000 tourists. Had there been no such barbaric incident, we would not have shared anything but following the unfortunate incident, we want the government to wake up to the safety of tourists, who visit the place for enjoyment and relaxation, risking their lives,” he said.

Dr Grewal said during a road trip to Pahalgam, there was no security force on roads.

He said on hilltops, which remain attractive tourist destinations, one had to pass through narrow stretches either by trekking or riding ponies and here too on entire stretches, they could not find any security personnel, which certainly gave an impression that conditions in the state were really improved.

On way to Sonamarg, the family spent a night at ‘Gaganvir’, a small resort run by a French woman, Odele, her Kashmiri husband Rashid and daughter Farah.

At the same time, a few local residents said they did not like people coming from other states to invest here in Kashmir. A guide told that “cultural invasion” was not liked by local residents. “The state is of Kashmiris and we want to take care of it. Tourists can come, enjoy and go,” one of the guides said.