Some two decades back, then Jammu and Kashmir government established Tourism Development Authorities (TDAs) for promotion of tourism in picturesque areas of then state. The basic aim of such nodal agencies was not only the speedy development of basic infrastructure at a particular tourist spot — road connectivity, creating facilities for comfortable stay of tourists as well as recreation avenues for them — but also to avoid duplication and over-lap between different government departments for proper planning. But on ground, the reality is not always as attractive as it seems on paper. Take any Tourism Development Authority (say one for Gulmarg or Pahalgam or for that matter any other area) as an example, these give you a sufficient feel of messed-up priorities and lack of seriousness. From the three main tourist resorts reports of encroachments, unauthorised constructions, lack of basic facilities like public toilets and lack of proper waste management are pouring in almost on daily basis.
Each and every area has its uniqueness and certainly one cannot have ‘one size fits all’ kind of strategy for every tourist spot. Some places might be suited for leisure and others for winter sports, mountaineering or something else. Not every place can be built as a replica of the Gulmarg or Phalgam and this is to be borne in mind while planning tourism development of a particular area. But this vital factor is clearly missing in each Authorities’ planning. The planners at each spot seem to be obsessed with copying everything that is there at other tourist destinations.
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This is not to say that idea of creating Tourism Development Authorities and vesting them with the responsibilities of tourism development at each location was wrong. Indeed, this is a very good idea and could go a long way in promoting tourism on modern and economically viable lines by coordinating the activities of different government agencies under a single roof and under single window. But the initiative could yield dividends only when it is backed up with proper, modern and scientific know-how about tourism development and promotion, infrastructure building and hosting culture. And more than anything else, there must be proper checks and balances on the working of these Tourism Development Authorities – they cannot be allowed to evolve into islands of unaccountability. Instead, they should be held accountable for every single penny that goes into their organizational and working costs, and they should be made answerable for every single brick that is added to any building at each tourist resort.
Most of Kashmir’s tourist places are faced with a grave danger of encroachments and illegal constructions. There are already countless cases of encroachments of government (forest) land, and illegal constructions at Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and other resorts. While the government is trying to attract private investment for tourism development by promising various perks like single window clearance system to investors, it must at the same time make sure that everything is kept under proper scrutiny to minimize the chances of further damage to the fragile ecology at various resorts.
