Srinagar, 06-Jan: The Jammu and Kashmir government must review its decision to ‘declare’ 1034 kanals of land at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg and 354 kanals in another popular tourist destination Sonmarg as “strategic areas” for the use of armed forces, CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousaf Tarigami said on Thursday.“These are two most popular tourist destinations in the valley, the senior political leader said remarking further there were already a lot of areas with the army for such purposes.”Gulmarg and Sonamarg along with Pahalgam are three most popular tourist destinations in the Valley which need to be promoted for tourism purposes, Tarigami said underlining need of the hour is to develop tourism infrastructure in Kashmir which can generate employment for burgeoning numbers of unemployed youths.“So-called real estate development by the government can’t generate employment or create livelihood opportunities, but are only meant for giving benefits to the corporate sector”, Tarigami said in a statement.“We hope that the government will review its decision and focus on developing tourism in Gulmarg, Sonamarg and other tourist destinations”, Tarigami said.
