Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to phased regularisation of daily-wage workers, announced a Rajasthan-style behavioural training model to improve the tourism experience in Jammu and Kashmir, and informed the Assembly that 578 illegal constructions had been identified in tourist destinations over the past three years.
Replying to a private member’s bill moved by CPI(M) MLA Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami seeking regularisation of casual and other workers in various government departments, the chief minister said the government had already committed to initiating the process in a phased manner during the current financial year.
“Government has already made a clear commitment that the process of regularisation will be initiated in a phased manner during the current financial year and we stand by that commitment,” Abdullah said in the Legislative Assembly.
He said the government did not oppose the intent behind the proposed legislation, but had reservations about introducing such a bill at a time when the government had already announced its policy.
“Not even a month has passed since the commitment was made. I think that raising the issue on the very first day of the financial year appears meaningless,” he said.
The chief minister said the government fully recognises the concerns of employees who have spent the prime years of their lives in service and maintained that their regularisation remains a priority.
He informed the House that a committee has already been constituted to examine the issue and urged Tarigami to withdraw his bill pending the panel’s report.
Following the assurance, Tarigami withdrew his private member’s bill.
Another bill moved by MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para seeking regularisation of adhoc, daily-wage and other temporary workers was, however, rejected by the House through a voice vote.
Later in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary also reiterated the government’s commitment to regularising daily-wagers, but said the exercise would be undertaken in a structured manner keeping in view the financial implications.
“When such a statement is made in the Assembly, it must be taken seriously,” Choudhary told reporters, referring to the chief minister’s assurance that daily-wagers would be regularised during his tenure.
The deputy chief minister said repeated protests by daily-wagers were unnecessary and suggested that some people were failing to understand the significance of assurances made on the floor of the House.
He said a committee had already been constituted to examine the issue and its report was awaited.
“It is unrealistic to expect that they will be regularised overnight,” he said.
Referring to the financial burden involved, Choudhary said the Union Territory would have to assess whether it could bear the increased salary bill.
“If the central government had not provided special assistance of Rs 5,000 crore, it would have been difficult to pay even the salaries of existing employees in March,” he said.
Describing himself as a former trade union leader, Choudhary said issues of such magnitude are resolved through dialogue and negotiations rather than continuous protests.
He, however, maintained that the government has the complete list of eligible workers and all such employees across departments would be regularised in accordance with due process.
Meanwhile, responding to separate questions in the Assembly, the chief minister said the government would adopt a behavioural training model inspired by Rajasthan to improve the conduct of tourism stakeholders and strengthen the visitor experience.
Replying to questions by Congress MLA Irfan Hafiz Lone and National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq, Abdullah said clean tourist destinations and better behaviour by service providers are essential for ensuring that visitors return to Jammu and Kashmir.
“The government is working on a programme inspired by a successful initiative in Rajasthan, where behavioural science-based training developed in collaboration with IIT was used to improve the conduct of tourism stakeholders,” he said.
The chief minister said that while no major incidents of tourist harassment had been reported, even isolated complaints of overcharging, coercion and poor behaviour by some tourism service providers were unacceptable and were being addressed.
Citing examples, he said tourists are at times compelled to rent heavy winter clothing such as coats and boots even during warmer weather, while in some places pony operators and other service providers aggressively push visitors to use their services.
He also referred to complaints of tourists being quoted one rate on display boards but later being charged a higher amount.
From January this year till date, 508 complaints have been received, of which 413 have already been disposed of, he said.
Abdullah said training and capacity-building programmes are regularly organised for hotel staff, guides, Shikara operators, taxi drivers, vendors and other tourism stakeholders. He added that a proposal for mandatory certification of such stakeholders is under consideration.
The chief minister also stressed the need to maintain cleanliness at tourist destinations and said the government was focusing on improving sanitation infrastructure in major tourist areas.
He informed the House that the Gulmarg Development Authority has approved a Rs 46.50-crore project for a 2 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant in Gulmarg, which is expected to be taken up during the 2026-27 financial year.
He further said a Detailed Project Report for a Solid Waste Treatment Plant in Gulmarg is being prepared.
On the issue of pending registration of ponywalas, guides, sledge pullers and photographers in Gulmarg, Abdullah said the delay was a deliberate policy decision intended to protect the area’s carrying capacity, avoid overcrowding and ensure sustainable tourism.
Replying to another question by PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, the chief minister informed the House that Tourism Development Authorities had granted 807 building permissions during the last three years, while 578 illegal constructions had been identified across tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said 245 permissions were issued in 2023-24, 147 in 2024-25 and 415 in 2025-26.
Of the total permissions, 544 were for residential houses, 121 for commercial buildings, 26 for hotels, 14 for huts and two for guesthouses.
Abdullah also said that 2,613 homestays with a total bed capacity of 19,328 have been registered in Jammu and Kashmir.
Regarding illegal constructions, he said 21 unauthorised structures were identified in Gulmarg, of which 20 were sealed and one demolished.
In Pahalgam, 28 illegal constructions were detected, with 13 sealed and action underway in the remaining cases.
He said 15 illegal structures were demolished in Patnitop, while four unauthorised constructions were penalised in Verinag.
In Doodhpathri, 147 illegal constructions were identified and notices issued, while five illegal constructions were detected in Sonamarg. Notices were also served in 358 cases in Bhaderwah.
The chief minister said action, including sealing, demolition and penalties, had been initiated against violators. He added that GIS-based inventories of authorised constructions are being maintained in Sonamarg, Gulmarg and Pahalgam, while geo-coordinates are being collected in other tourist areas before granting permissions.
